Emergency crews in northern Nepal have launched a frantic rescue operation after catastrophic flash floods trapped over one hundred workers inside a subterranean hydropower tunnel.

The disaster struck the 216-megawatt Trishuli 1 project in the mountainous Rasuwa district, an area severely battered by relentless monsoon deluges and sudden landslides.

Specialized disaster management units and heavy excavators are clearing mud and debris in a critical bid to reach the stranded laborers safely.