The Indian tunnel rescue team working alongside the Nepal Army has built a temporary track inside the flood-hit Chilime tunnel in Nepal's Rasuwa district, allowing heavy equipment to reach the affected area as efforts continue to trace missing workers.
The teams also dug deeper inside the tunnel on Friday to drain accumulated water that had been hampering rescue operations.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said the Indian team was working with the Nepali Army to improve access inside the tunnel while doctors accompanying the team also held a health camp for the local community.
India deployed specialised rescue teams after devastating flash floods struck northern and central Nepal on August 26. The disaster swept away homes, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure.
Rescue efforts have focused on hydropower project sites, where hundreds of workers remain unaccounted for. Officials said around 900 workers are missing from a dozen hydropower projects, with nearly 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels.
The Chilime hydropower project near Syabrubesi village in Rasuwa district was among the areas severely affected by the floods.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, more than 32,000 people have been affected by the disaster, which also damaged roads, bridges, schools and healthcare facilities.