Five employees trapped at Chilime hydropower station handed over to families

Rasuwa, September 17, 2026 — The bodies of five employees who were trapped inside the Chilime Hydropower Station after flooding in the Bhotekoshi River have been identified and handed over to their families on Thursday.

Chilime Hydropower Company Managing Director Baburaja Maharjan said the deceased were engineer Santosh Pandey, electrical supervisor Minraj Moktan, security guards Shyambahadur Thapamagar and Tilakbahadur Thapamagar, and Nepal Electricity Authority employee Lakpa Tamang.

Their bodies were found on Wednesday afternoon in the control room area, about 150 metres inside the tunnel from its outer section, according to Maharjan.

He said the bodies recovered from inside the power station were transported to Nuwakot by a Nepal Army helicopter before being handed over to the families.

Personnel from the Indian Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Electricity Authority were also involved in the search and rescue operation under the command of a Nepal Army brigade commander.

The flood caused extensive damage to the Chilime hydropower station. Maharjan said floodwaters rose to about 85 metres above the tunnel, which is situated around 20 metres above the Bhotekoshi River level.

The flood buried the tunnel and destroyed the entire power station structure, including two turbines with a capacity of 11 megawatts each, he said.

Meanwhile, Rasuwa Chief District Officer Kamal Prasad Pandey said search and rescue operations and relief distribution were continuing in the district.

He said a 25-member committee had been formed with a one-month mandate to collect details of the damage caused by the disaster.

Temporary crossings, including rope bridges and footbridges, have also been constructed over the river to facilitate movement in affected areas, Pandey said.