Dramatic operation brings hope amid devastating floods that killed more than 1,300 people along Nepal-Tibet border.
Two workers trapped inside a hydropower tunnel in Nepal have been pulled out alive nine days after catastrophic flash floods buried the site under mud and debris.
The men were rescued on Friday morning from the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project in Rasuwa district, one of the areas worst affected by the disaster. Nepali Army personnel recovered them after hearing faint voices from deep inside the sludge-filled tunnel.
The survivors were identified as Sanjay Sah, a 30-year-old mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a 45-year-old mechanical supervisor. Both were employees of the Nepal Electricity Authority. Sah was reported to be in stable condition, while Maharjan was described as critical and required intensive care. The body of a third worker was also recovered during the operation.
Nepal Tunnel Rescue Brings Hope:
The rescue offered a rare glimmer of hope more than a week after a glacial collapse on 26 August sent a torrent of water, mud, ice and boulders racing through river valleys along the Nepal-Tibet border. The disaster killed more than 1,300 people and left thousands missing on both sides of the frontier.
At the Trishuli 3A site, the flood buried the tunnel entrance so completely that rescuers initially struggled to locate it. Teams used satellite imagery to pinpoint the facility amid the transformed landscape. After days of difficult excavation through thick mud and debris, soldiers finally made contact with survivors roughly 170 metres inside the tunnel.
“We are coming! Don’t worry, the Nepali Army is coming,” one officer recalled calling out after hearing voices. One of the rescued men, upon emerging, asked what day it was.
Rescue Efforts Continue in Nepal:
Officials said dozens of other workers may still be trapped in the same tunnel network. Across multiple hydropower projects along the Trishuli River, hundreds of labourers remain unaccounted for. Search and rescue teams, supported by technical assistance from several countries, continued operations after the successful extraction.
Videos released by the army showed the mud-covered survivors being carefully brought to the surface, carried on stretchers or on rescuers’ backs, before being airlifted for medical treatment in Kathmandu.
The successful recovery has been widely described as a “miracle” by officials and observers, lifting spirits in communities still grappling with immense loss. Yet the scale of the overall disaster-with thousands still missing and entire villages destroyed-underscores the immense challenges that remain. Rescue efforts at the hydropower tunnels and across the affected districts continue.