Rescue Teams Extract Hundreds From Nepal Hydropower Tunnel as Death Toll Climbs Above 500

Rescue personnel in Nepal successfully extracted 350 workers from a mud-clogged hydropower plant tunnel on Friday following a devastating mudslide in the Rasuwa district, according to footage released by the Prime Minister’s Office. The video documents the arduous evacuation process as teams dragged trapped individuals through sections of tunnel inundated with thick mud, while more than 100 people remained trapped underground.

The catastrophic event unfolded on August 26, 2026, when a glacial collapse in Langtang National Park triggered a massive debris flow down the Lhende Khola River, according to analysis from the U.S. Geological Survey. The debris surge traveled nearly 100 kilometers downstream, destroying populated areas along the Trishuli and Bhote Koshi Rivers and demolishing infrastructure including the critical highway connecting China and Nepal.

Death tolls and missing person counts remain substantial across both nations. Nepal has confirmed at least 538 deaths, while approximately 1,924 people are unaccounted for on the Nepalese side, according to official authorities and The Associated Press. Chinese officials report five confirmed dead in Tibet with 558 missing on their side of the border.

The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that 533 additional residents were evacuated from flooded areas as rescue operations continued. The U.S. State Department indicated approximately 90 Americans are among the missing, prompting diplomatic coordination between nations affected by the disaster.

President Donald Trump characterized the disaster Thursday as unprecedented in its destructive power. “That was mud and water. It’s a mixture that nobody’s ever seen anything quite like that, where very powerful, strong, well-built buildings were wiped out like they were toothpicks,” Trump told reporters.