Search and rescue teams have pulled two men to safety from a hydropower tunnel buried under debris nine days after a catastrophic flash flood devastated Nepal. The rescued workers were discovered alive early Friday at the main tunnel site of the Trishuli 3A hydropower project.
The successful extraction has reignited hopes that hundreds of people, believed to remain trapped in various hydropower tunnels across the region, may also be saved. The disaster, which struck on August 26, was triggered by a cascade likely caused by a partial glacier collapse, sending water, rock, and mud racing down Himalayan valleys.
Video footage released by Nepal’s Ministry of Energy captured the emotional moment one survivor emerged through a small, muddy opening. Cheering erupted as rescuers helped him to his feet; he was carried on the backs of emergency workers toward a waiting helicopter, raising his hand in relief. A second man, caked in mud, pressed his hands together in prayer as he was stretchered away.
Nepal’s Home Minister Sudan Gurung identified the survivors as Sanjay Shah, a 30-year-old mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a 45-year-old mechanical supervisor. Speaking to the AFP news agency, Maharjan’s brother, Amir, expressed his relief: “I am so happy, my heart is lighter.”
The Nepali Army confirmed that both men are receiving medical treatment and will be transported to a hospital in Kathmandu. An army spokesperson noted that one of the survivors informed rescuers that other individuals may still be alive inside the tunnel.
These two are the first survivors pulled from hydropower stations or construction sites since the disaster. However, the scale of the tragedy remains massive, with at least 557 workers reported missing from the Trishuli 3A project alone. Approximately 115 of them are believed to be trapped within the main tunnel.
Nepal’s Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina stated on social media that officials remain hopeful for further recoveries. “We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people,” he wrote.
The flood left more than 5,000 people missing across Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet. While Nepal has largely declined international assistance, a 15-member team of drone specialists from Australia arrived on Friday at the government’s request. Among those affected are 36 Australian citizens currently missing.
Jeremy Fewtrell, commissioner of Fire and Rescue New South Wales, told reporters at Sydney Airport, “We are still holding out hope that people might still be surviving in some sort of locations and hopefully this team can help locate any of those people.」
The death toll from the disaster stands at at least 1,287 in Nepal, with tens of thousands displaced. In Tibet, Chinese authorities report 21 deaths and 541 missing individuals.
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