Engineers in a busy WhatsApp group are playing a quiet but vital role in Nepal’s desperate search for survivors after last week’s devastating flash flood. The group, created before the disaster, now has more than 500 members and has become a key source of real-time technical support for rescue teams working in the ruined Trishuli valley.
On August 26 a massive wall of water, mud and rock crashed through the valley after a glacier collapsed. More than 1,200 people died and over 4,000 remain missing. Authorities still hope that some of the roughly 900 workers reported missing from six hydropower plants may have survived by taking shelter inside the tunnels.
Finding those tunnels is extremely difficult. The flood dumped 2.2 million tonnes of debris across the landscape, burying entrances and changing the terrain completely. Rescue workers have been using the WhatsApp group to request critical information. One government official asked for “Chilime layout drawings.” Within minutes an engineer shared detailed plans of the powerhouse and access tunnels.
Similar exchanges are happening for other plants. At Rasuwagadhi, teams reached 250 metres into a tunnel before hitting a blockage. Officials believe up to 46 people could still be trapped in a chamber with possible access to food and water. At Upper Trishuli 3A it took nearly six days just to reach the buried tunnel entrance. Workers have since tried pumping oxygen through pipes in the hope that someone remains alive inside.
Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet explained that the flood altered both the surrounding ground and the internal structure of the tunnels. Mud, rocks and soil have packed tightly inside, making this far from a normal rescue situation.
Survivors have shared their own stories. Civil engineer Jan Jiwan Thakur received a last-minute warning and managed to climb to higher ground with about 100 colleagues. Dhan Bahadur Tamang escaped through a tunnel as pipes and debris rushed past him. He later described seeing bodies during his underground journey to safety.
Family members continue to wait in anguish. Rajesh Shrestha, whose 30-year-old son is still missing, said he still looks outside every day hoping to see him walk home again.
The WhatsApp group has also been used to share names and phone numbers of missing workers so authorities can check last known mobile locations. While no one has yet been found alive inside the tunnels, the constant flow of expert advice is helping rescue teams stay focused and organised in an extremely difficult environment.
