A group of more than 500 experts using a WhatsApp messaging thread is providing real-time technical guidance to rescue teams in Nepal’s Trishuli valley. The teams are searching for survivors at six hydropower plants following a glacier collapse and flash flood on August 26. Authorities stated that approximately 900 people are missing from these specific sites, and officials hope some workers may have survived by sheltering in underground tunnels.
The flood, which occurred more than a week ago, deposited 2.2 million tonnes of mud and debris across the valley, burying tunnel entrances and altering the local terrain. The disaster resulted in more than 1,200 confirmed deaths and left over 4,000 people missing nationwide. Additionally, the deluge destroyed approximately 10% of Nepal's total electricity generation capacity.
Rescue workers have used the messaging group to obtain technical layout drawings and powerhouse details to locate buried entrances. At the Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant, officials reported that 46 people might be trapped in a chamber that could contain food and water. At the Upper Trishuli 3A site, teams took nearly six days to reach a buried tunnel entrance and have since attempted to pump oxygen through pipes into subterranean cavities.
The scale of the damage includes the loss of 10% of the nation's power generation capacity, which may result in electricity shortages for households and businesses across Nepal. The country had been expanding this network not only to meet domestic demand but also to export surplus energy. The physical destruction of these facilities, at least three of which were still under construction, will likely delay national electrification goals and impact the revenue generated from energy exports.
For ordinary citizens, the immediate effects include potential changes in utility reliability and the long-term economic impact of rebuilding infrastructure buried under 2.2 million tonnes of debris. The use of consumer messaging apps like WhatsApp to coordinate military and civil rescue efforts sets a precedent for how technical data can be distributed during infrastructure failures when traditional government communication channels may be strained. Rescue operations are ongoing as excavators continue to clear boulders and mud from tunnel mouths, though no survivors have yet been recovered from the underground sites.