Kathmandu: In a stunning survival and rescue operation, two workers trapped deep inside the Upper Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project tunnel have been rescued alive, 10 days after the devastating flash floods swept through Nepal’s northern river valleys.
The two men, identified as Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were brought out by rescue teams on Friday after rescuers detected faint voices from deep inside the tunnel. They were found at a depth of about 170 metres, with the tunnel entrance buried under massive quantities of mud, rock and debris.
Their survival has stunned rescuers. The workers endured days inside a severely damaged tunnel amid mud and debris, with rescue teams initially facing little hope of finding anyone alive. Their rescue has now renewed hopes that others trapped inside hydropower tunnels may also have survived in air pockets or isolated chambers.
The rescue comes as Nepal continues to grapple with one of its worst disasters in decades. The August 26 flash floods and landslides, triggered by a glacier collapse near the Nepal-China border, sent a massive surge of water, mud, rocks and debris down the Trishuli and Bhotekoshi river systems.
The disaster has already killed more than 1,200 people, while more than 4,200 remain unaccounted for, according to Nepal government figures released on September 3. Nearly 900 hydropower workers are among those reported missing from projects along the river corridor.
The scale of the devastation is extraordinary: a huge debris-laden river surge travelled downstream from the China-Tibet border region, leaving a trail of mud, gravel and wreckage across communities towards Chitwan.
Thousands of families remain displaced, including large numbers of children. The number of workers still untraced remains uncertain because the Nepal government has not released a consolidated official list of missing hydropower workers.
At Trishuli-3A, the rescue operation is continuing, with Nepali Army personnel and technical teams searching deeper into the tunnel for possible survivors. Specialist rescue teams from China and other countries have also been assisting Nepal in the tunnel operations.
For families waiting for missing relatives, Friday's rescue has transformed despair into a fragile new hope.
Two voices from the darkness have answered back.
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