Miracle Rescue in Nepal: Two Workers Pulled Alive From Hydropower Tunnel Nine Days After Devastating Flash Flood

Search teams have successfully rescued two men from a hydropower tunnel buried by debris during the flash flood that devastated Nepal nine days ago. The two workers were pulled alive from the main tunnel at the construction site of the Trishuli 3A plant early on Friday, raising hopes of recovering more of the hundreds of people believed to remain trapped in hydropower tunnels.

The cascade, believed to have been triggered by the partial collapse of a glacier, killed more than 1,200 people and devastated entire communities as water, rock, and mud raced down Himalayan valleys. A video released by Nepal’s Ministry of Energy showed cheering as a man emerged through a small muddy opening, assisted by rescuers toward a helicopter, while a second man covered in mud prayed on a stretcher.

The rescued men were identified as Sanjay Shah, 30, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor, by the minister of home affairs of Nepal, Sudan Gurung. “I am so happy, my heart is lighter,” Maharjan’s brother Amir told the AFP news agency. The Nepali Army confirmed that both men were receiving medical treatment before being transferred to a hospital in Kathmandu as search and rescue operations continue.

The pair are the first to be rescued from hydropower stations or construction projects in Nepal, where at least 557 workers remain missing from the Trishuli 3A project and about 115 are believed trapped in the main tunnel. An army spokesperson reported that one of the survivors indicated more people remain alive inside, while Nepal’s Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina expressed hope on social media for further rescues.

Following the disaster on August 26, which left more than 5,000 people missing in Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet, rescue workers have desperately sought survivors. Although Nepal has largely refused international help, Australia sent a 15-member team of drone specialists to join rescue operations on Friday at the request of Nepal’s government, as 36 Australian citizens remain missing. At least 1,287 people have been confirmed dead in Nepal with tens of thousands displaced, and China reported 21 deaths and 541 missing on the Tibet side.