First Thing: Desperate rescue attempts continue in Nepal to reach hundreds thought to be trapped

A rescuer works at the entrance of a tunnel at Chilime hydropower plant. Hundreds are feared trapped at half a dozen such sites in Nepal. Photograph: Ashish Gurung/Reuters

Good morning. Rescue teams are working to reach hundreds of people feared trapped in the tunnels and underground areas of half a dozen hydropower projects in Nepal as more than 900 workers were reported missing after the devastating flash floods.

The death toll from the ⁠unprecedented deluge of ice, rock, mud ​and debris that crashed through valleys of Nepal on Wednesday last week has risen to 903 people, with 16 reported dead on the Tibet side of the border. More than 4,000 are missing in Nepal, with another 500 in Tibet. Hundreds of bodies, many unidentified, have been buried in shallow graves.