The death toll from devastating floods in Nepal has risen above one thousand, with thousands of people still missing.
The country's disaster agency says more than three thousand nine hundred people remain unaccounted for, including over six hundred workers believed to be trapped in mud filled tunnels at hydropower sites along the Trishuli River.
Rescue teams have been pumping air into the tunnels in an effort to reach those trapped underground. A team that managed to enter one of the tunnels on Monday was forced to withdraw after finding no survivors.
Nepal's Prime Minister, Balendra Shah, said 279 people have so far been rescued from the affected hydropower sites. The rescue operation is being led by Chinese and Nepalese military personnel, with experts from India, South Korea and Australia also taking part.
Nepal relies heavily on hydropower and has developed several projects along its mountainous rivers. Authorities say at least 11 hydropower projects, either completed or under construction, were damaged by the floods.
Families of the missing workers have criticised the pace of the rescue operation, saying air should have been pumped into the tunnels earlier.
Source: BBC