00:00Hoping against odds that dozens of people trapped in hydropower projects might still be rescued and in Upper Trishuli 3A,
00:13Trishuli 3A project, there is a Herculean effort today to find the entryway into the tunnel under the assumption that
00:23there are people trapped there.
00:25Trishuli 3B and Upper Trishuli 1, these are all major hydropower projects where people might still be trapped. So that
00:34effort is continuing today. There are reports that some people might still be stranded in the jungles near the border.
00:41That is another area that we would need to look at.
00:43Our security agencies and other response teams are currently handling the situations effectively. As operations continue, we have requested specific
00:54and specialized assistance from our friendly neighbors where such support can further strengthen our search and rescue efforts in areas
01:03such as opening the tunnel where people have been trapped, technologies that help us locate people alive in affected areas,
01:10quick forensic and DNA analysis,
01:12and more tourists to keep the bodies. An 11 member specialized technical reconnaissance team for tunnel rescue from India has
01:22been mobilized and a tunnel rescue team from China is expected to arrive very, very soon.
01:28So many villages are disconnected. 19 strong bridges have been wiped off. So, you know, just across the river, these
01:36villages are completely isolated. And there are reports that food supplies are running out. And there are many young people,
01:44women, children who are isolated.
01:46Our immediate priority remains clear to save lives, locate missing persons, rescue them, provide urgent relief to survivors, and ensure
01:57that affected Nepali as well as foreign nationals receive appropriate assistance and support.
02:05So, as of today, over 4,451 people have been rescued from the region, including over 187 foreign nationals. So
02:16far, 626 bodies have been recovered from the area, and about 2,400 people are still unaccounted for.
