2 trapped workers rescued from tunnel 9 days after Nepal floods

Two workers trapped inside a tunnel at Nepal’s Trishuli 3A hydropower project were rescued alive on Friday, nine days after deadly floods and mudslides struck the Himalayan region.

Search teams located the men after hearing voices from inside the tunnel, Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane said. Images showed rescuers carrying one survivor through the mud, with soldiers helping on either side.

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I can’t explain what we are feeling at the moment. We are just grateful to god.

The two men, identified as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor, were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu. One was in critical condition, according to the prime minister’s office. Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said one survivor reported that more people were still alive inside, and the search continued.

Authorities said about 900 workers were missing from 12 hydropower projects, with roughly 500 believed trapped in tunnels. The Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal estimated that about 115 people remained trapped at Trishuli 3A alone. At least 1,287 people died in the Aug. 26 floods, which were likely caused by a glacier collapse, while more than 5,000 remained missing.

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We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people.