Express in Nepal: In their own ‘war room’, workers of a priavte firm plan search for 150 missing colleagues

Express in Nepal: In their own 'war room', workers of a priavte firm plan search for 150 missing colleagues Nepal's disaster management authorities remarked on Monday evening that 639 residents were still missing at the sites of 15 hydropower projects – some.

Key points

• The Upper Trishuli-1 project, located approximately 70 km north of Kathmandu and 30 km east of Nepal's border with Tibet, was one of them.
• Sources in the firm stated around 150 of its more than 250 Indian and Nepali workers remained missing five days after the flood.
• They are all staring at a wall on which a map of the region around the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydroelectric Project has been projected.
• (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal) The firm has been supplying the coordinates of some of its workers and details of the project's work to the Nepalese army.
• Residents return to check their homes after the floods, at Trishuli in Nuwakot district, Monday.

Residents return to check their homes after the floods, at Trishuli in Nuwakot district, Monday. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal).

Inside a sizeable room on the ground floor of a midrange hotel in central Kathmandu, the air is tense. A couple of coffee tables have been put next to each other to create a longish conference table, and sofas have been placed around it.

There are 10 individuals in the room. They are all staring at a wall on which a map of the region around the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydroelectric Project has been projected. Around 150 of their colleagues are trapped somewhere in that region.

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For context, the Upper Trishuli-1 project, located approximately 70 km north of Kathmandu and 30 km east of Nepal's border with Tibet, was one of them. With a planned capacity of 216 MW, it was to be the largest project in the Bhote Koshi river corridor.

Flood-hit houses covered in mud and sludge in the aftermath of the flash floods, in Nepal on Sunday. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal) In the hotel room, the discussion is on ways to rescue the stranded workers. Till which point can a vehicle travel? How long is the walk after that? Could a helicopter support?

This is the war room of the Austrian firm Andritz, a project subcontractor that supplies and installs machinery for the hydropower projects. "We set up this hub immediately after the incident happened at 9.30 am on Wednesday. While the Nepalese army continues with its search and rescue operations, the firm is putting in its own efforts as well, " Mayank Tomer, country head of Andritz, stated.

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Sources in the firm stated around 150 of its more than 250 Indian and Nepali workers remained missing five days after the flood. It is not known how plenty of of them are still alive.

Meanwhile, the Trishuli Hydro Power station lies in a destructed state and invisible in the photo (photo demonstrates the spot of the water way and the headgate) after the flash floods. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal) The firm has been supplying the coordinates of some of its workers and details of the project's work to the Nepalese army. It had earlier hired a helicopter to drop food packets to stranded workers.

On Monday, the firm secured permission to fly a helicopter to the area and directly join the search operations. But the plan had to be cancelled due to heavy rain.

While eight others will attempt a 10-hour drive there in two four-wheel-drive vehicles, on Tuesday, weather permitting, the firm intends to fly four residents to the area.

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When the vehicles can no longer go, they will start trekking. Their one objective: to find as plenty of residents as feasible, dead or alive.

Notably, the firm executives do not have equipment to dig deep into the tunnels, but they are hopeful they won't have to.

"Our camp was just beside the river. The area is now completely under mud, so individuals may be stuck in the riverbed. It's an open area, and we can conduct search operations there. We additionally know the location of some residents in the tunnel, and we can try to look for them as well, " Tomer noted.

But the team is facing challenges even before it has kicked off out. "Why is there no Internet in this room?" someone exclaims in frustration.

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In practice, the hotel WiFi does not seem to be working, and mobile phone signals are subdued. "You have to go out to get connectivity, " another person notes.

In practice, the team is trying to see the latest Google Earth images of the area. But they don't have a paid subscription to the software. None of the Nepalis have a credit card. And the cards that the Indians have do not allow international spending.

After five phone calls, a working credit card is arranged. But even the paid subscription does not provide pictures in real time.

Meanwhile, the affected area is massive, Timer states. "Our workers can be anywhere in a 15-km stretch. We have identified five spots where we have a better chance of finding someone. The site of the camp and the inlet of the tunnel are our two priority spots, " he remarked.

" Kya lagta hai? Koi milega? (Do you think we will find someone)" someone in the room asks no one in particular. "Kal Tuesday hai, ek hafta ho jayega (Tomorrow is Tuesday; it will be a week since the flood), " someone else responds.

For now, express in Nepal: In their own 'war room', workers of a priavte remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.