Live: Rescuers in Nepal race to reach workers stuck in hydropower tunnels

Nepal says it is "intensifying" efforts to free hundreds of people trapped in a tunnel at the country's Trishuli-3A hydropower site following Wednesday's flash floods.The disaster has killed at least 794 people and more than 2,500 people are missing in Nepal, according to the latest figures released by the Nepal Police.On the Chinese side, authorities said 16 people were killed in Gyirong County and 546 were missing.Follow the latest updates in our live blog.Mon 31 Aug 2026 at 7:28amMon 31 Aug 2026 at 7:28amAustralia commits a further $3m in humanitarian assistanceYesterday, the Australian government announced a further $3 million in humanitarian assistance to go to Nepal.Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlewaite says this funding will mostly go to supplying hygiene kits."There's a desperate need for these kits for people in the region and also solar lights," he says."Obviously all of the power and telecommunications infrastructure has been wiped out."So those kits are being put together, they'll be transported by the Australian Defence Force over the coming days."The additional funding announced now brings the government's humanitarian support for the disaster to $8 million.Mon 31 Aug 2026 at 7:17amMon 31 Aug 2026 at 7:17amRescuers race to reach hundreds trapped in Nepal tunnels(Reuters: Supplied)About 10,000 Nepali troops have been deployed alongside specialist teams from China and India to find survivors trapped in tunnels in Nepal.Nepal's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Mahabir Pun said there were several hydro-power stations which were under construction and had been blocked."We're working very hard and [with] the support that the Chinese government sent yesterday and today will be very helpful to open up the entrance of the tunnel, because there are many people who have been trapped there," he said.Nepal's military airlifted heavy machinery to the remote site on Sunday and rescuers reached the entrance of one tunnel, beginning to clear debris blocking access.Authorities said teams carrying oxygen supplies and cameras would enter once access was secured.Lok Bahadur Chhetri, a spokesperson for Nepal's foreign ministry, said Nepal required international assistance in specialised areas, including tunnel rescue operations, DNA testing, refrigerated storage for bodies and forensic identification of decomposed remains.Mon 31 Aug 2026 at 7:06amMon 31 Aug 2026 at 7:06amNumber of Australians unaccounted-for risesThe number of Australians unaccounted-for in the Nepal-Tibet flood disaster has risen to 43, according to Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlewaite."We haven't given up hope that we can rescue those Australians safe and well," Thistlewaite says on ABC News Breakfast."We've got 12 additional consular staff that we've sent to the region to assist our post on the ground there to try and recover those Australians as quickly as possible."We're doing everything we can, working around the clock to try and locate those missing Australians."Mon 31 Aug 2026 at 6:59amMon 31 Aug 2026 at 6:59amWelcome to our live blogGood morning. We're continuing our live coverage of the aftermath of Wednesday's devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet.Rescuers in Nepal are racing to reach workers stuck in tunnels after flooding trapped them inside.The search efforts include five hydropower projects, including the Upper Trishuli complex, where authorities said on Friday they received information that around 350 people could be trapped inside a tunnel.The death toll in Nepal has now risen to at least 794, according to the latest figures released by the Nepal Police, while over 2,400 people are still thought to be missing.