Emergency responders in Nepal successfully extracted two men from a hydropower tunnel on Friday, nine days after devastating floods inundated the border area with China. The survivors were identified as Sanjay Shah, a 30-year-old mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a 45-year-old mechanical supervisor at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station along the Trishuli River.
Authorities reported that rescue teams first detected voices inside the tunnel early Friday morning. Video footage showed Maharjan being pulled from an opening in the ground to cheers from bystanders, while Shah, covered in mud, was carried to a rescue tent where medical personnel provided oxygen and checked his vital signs. Both individuals were subsequently airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu.
An aide to Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha indicated that Maharjan suffered paralysis in his limbs, whereas Shah’s injuries were not considered critical. Shrestha emphasized the ongoing commitment to the search efforts, stating, “As long as there is breath, there is hope!” He urged the public to continue their prayers and support as operations proceed across all affected tunnels.
These rescues mark the first successful recoveries at hydropower sites along the Trishuli River. However, officials estimate that up to 900 workers remain missing across various project sites, with approximately 500 believed trapped inside tunnels. At the Trishuli 3A site alone, the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal reports 557 missing persons, including about 115 thought to be trapped in the main tunnel.
Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina expressed continued optimism, saying, “We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people.” Rescue operations have been coordinated by an expert team utilizing a WhatsApp group, working alongside helicopter and heavy machinery assets.
The floods, triggered on August 26 by a glacier collapse upstream on the Trishuli River, sent a massive wall of ice, rock, and mud through communities near the China border. Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, estimated the damage at 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees (approximately $2.56 billion). He added that initial recovery efforts for the first four months, including road reconstruction and temporary housing, would cost an estimated $52.6 million.
Upreti noted that around 20,000 houses need rebuilding, with at least 7,500 completely destroyed. According to Nepal’s disaster management agency, at least 1,259 people have died and more than 5,000 remain missing. On the Chinese side, Tibet reported 21 deaths and 541 missing persons as of late Wednesday.
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