Nepal rescuers delayed by mud and water in tunnels – PM

Balendra Shah says flooded hydropower tunnels have become completely blocked, as hundreds remain trapped Mud and water have almost completely blocked hydropower tunnels in Nepal’s flood-hit north, complicating efforts to reach the more than 600 workers feared trapped underground, Prime Minister Balendra Shah has told parliament.Shah said the floodwaters had carried large amounts of mud and soil into the tunnels in the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli corridor last week, creating an unusual and difficult rescue environment. Nearly 4,000 people remain missing in the country as authorities continue search and rescue efforts eight days after the floods.The death toll from the flood is now 1,114, the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said on Wednesday. Nearly 12,000 people have been rescued to date.Across Nepal, families are starting to carry out symbolic funerals as hopes dim for the retrieval of the remains of their loved ones.Nepalese authorities are also carrying out mass burials of unidentified flood victims as morgues run out of space. The bodies are being buried with identification markers, after collecting DNA samples, to facilitate their future id...