Bagmati Province
Workers trapped inside Rasuwagadhi tunnel come out unharmed
Among those trapped were 11 Nepali and six Chinese labourersAt around 8:30pm on Thursday, a crew of 17 labourers had just reached the construction site inside the tunnel of the Rasuwagadi Hydropower Project, ready to start their night shift.
Then they were informed by their colleagues who were at the other end that the opening of the tunnel was covered by the debris of a heavy dry landslide.
Even though the landslide proved harmless, it spread fear among the labourers, said Janak Bahadur Rana, one of those trapped in the tunnel. “We were really afraid when the lights went out.” They were told to wait. But as soon as 12 am, all the 17 workers came out after the debris at the opening of the tunnel was cleared.
Project chief Chabi Gaire said that all trapped workers came out of the tunnel unharmed. According to Gaire, the landslip had occurred inside the tunnel but did not block the tunnel entrance. The workers were urged to remain inside until daybreak in order to avoid any untoward incident at night. However, the workers successfully made their way out before daybreak.
Gaire further said that the project has maintained tight security and will adopt safety measures to prevent any contingent accidents.
The capacity of the project is 111 megawatts. The project is expected to come into operation by late 2019.