Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel on Friday, September 4, exactly nine days after flash floods and mudslides struck the region. Officials identified the survivors as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor trapped inside the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project tunnel following the August 26 disaster.
Workers Pulled Alive From Hydropower Tunnel
Emergency Extraction at Trishuli 3A
Emergency search and rescue teams reached the two men inside the Trishuli 3A tunnel on Friday, according to official reports. Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane shared news of the second worker’s rescue on his Facebook page shortly after army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed that the first worker had been pulled out alive.
Local television broadcasts featured images of the initial survivor covered in mud, being carried away from the disaster zone on a rescuer’s shoulder. Officials confirmed that both individuals were in stable condition following their extraction and were immediately airlifted by the Nepal Army from an army base in Nuwakot to a hospital in Kathmandu for urgent medical evaluation.
Catastrophic Toll Across Twelve Projects
The disaster unfolded on August 26 when sudden flash floods, likely triggered by a glacier collapse, overwhelmed towns and swept away villages across Nepal. The Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal reported that at least 557 workers remain missing from the Trishuli 3A project along the Trishuli River, with approximately 115 believed trapped inside the main tunnel network.
According to local authorities, an estimated 900 workers are missing across 12 different hydropower projects throughout Nepal, with roughly 500 presumed trapped inside subterranean tunnels. The country’s disaster management agency reported that the overall death toll from the floods has reached at least 1,259 people, while more than 5,000 individuals remain unaccounted for. Across the border on the Tibet side, Chinese authorities reported 21 deaths and 541 missing persons as of late Wednesday.
Hopes for Further Underground Survivors
Despite the passage of more than a week since the initial catastrophe, personnel stationed at the rescue sites maintain that additional trapped workers could still be alive within the tunnel systems.
Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina expressed optimism regarding the ongoing operations. Writing on his official Facebook page, Timilsina stated that officials are actively awaiting further rescue breakthroughs as emergency teams continue their work underground.
