Nepal steps up rescue effort to reach hundreds trapped

Nepal’s military has airlifted heavy machinery by helicopter to an under-construction dam high in the Himalayas as rescuers battled rising water to reach workers in a tunnel, four days after catastrophic floods trapped them inside. The torrent of ice, rock and debris that swept down a mountain valley on the China-Nepal border on Wednesday killed more than 780 people, left more than 3000 missing, knocked out about 10 per cent of Nepal’s power generation capacity and inundated several hydropower projects under construction. Rescue operations are underway at five hydro-electric projects, including a major effort at the Upper Trishuli complex, where…