Australian tunnel rescue expert Arnold Dix says Nepal flood operation is unlike anything he has faced

Rasuwa, September 7, 2026 — Australian tunnel rescue expert Arnold Dix has described the ongoing search and rescue operations following the devastating Bhote Koshi flood in Nepal as an unprecedented challenge, saying teams are confronting multiple potential rescue situations simultaneously.

Dix, internationally known for his role in the successful rescue of 41 workers trapped inside India’s Silkyara tunnel in 2023, shared his assessment of the situation from Nepal in a social media post early Monday.

“Right now, in Nepal, we are facing something I have never faced before,” Dix wrote. “Not one rescue — but multiple potential rescues, unfolding at the same time, in different places, each with its own dangers, uncertainties and lives that may still be saved.”

Search and rescue operations have continued in several disaster-hit locations along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river corridors following the catastrophic flooding, with local and international teams working under difficult and hazardous conditions.

Dix compared the current situation with the Silkyara tunnel rescue, where efforts were concentrated on a single but highly complex underground operation to bring all 41 trapped workers to safety.

He said the situation in Nepal presented a different challenge, requiring rescuers to respond to several potential emergencies at the same time while dealing with uncertainty over conditions and possible survivors.

Reflecting on the scale of the disaster, Dix also referred to the concept of dharma, describing the importance of continuing to fulfil one's duty despite uncertainty over the outcome.

“The test is not simply whether we succeed,” he wrote. “It is whether we continue to do what is right when the path becomes harder, the responsibilities multiply, and the outcome cannot be known.”

Dix said his experience during the Silkyara operation had taught him not to dismiss a rescue as impossible simply because the chances appeared unlikely.