‘Layer upon layer of miracles’: How Nepal flood survivors were rescued from a buried tunnel

The entrance to a Nepalese hydropower tunnel had disappeared beneath the landscape, buried under an avalanche of mud and debris. Rescuers first had to find where the entrance had been before they could search for the people inside.

Arnold Dix, a tunnelling expert advising Nepal’s hydropower authorities, said the rescue felt like “layer upon layer of layer of miracles” after crews found two men alive on Friday. The Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station was among several facilities hit by last week’s massive flash flood on the Nepal-Tibet border, a disaster that has killed 1,300 people.

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Layer upon layer of layer of miracles

The team combined old topographic maps, satellite imagery, helicopter video and clues on the mountain’s surface, including power poles, to estimate the tunnel’s location. Once they found the entrance, they still had to work out where the survivors were. The tunnel was completely blocked by mud and rocks, some larger than cars.

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I've never known an rescue operation where you had to look for an entrance of a tunnel that was previously up the hill, that was now underground. You can imagine the enormity of the avalanche, it completely buried the entrance

Rescuers used explosives to clear the route, despite the danger of harming people trapped inside or destabilising the tunnel. Dix praised the Nepalese army for carrying out the blasts precisely. Water also filled the tunnel, so crews dug trenches to the river and used excavators and pumping machines to drain it.

Finally, they cut a passage through the debris at the top of the tunnel, creating a person-sized route that used the original tunnel roof for protection and reduced the risk of flooding. In the early hours of Friday, rescuers heard what they believed were voices. They called, “Don’t worry, we’re here to rescue you,” and heard a faint “Okay” in reply. They soon pulled out Sanjaya Shah and Kabir Maharjan alive.

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We had to use explosives which we normally never do because of the risk of blowing up people [trapped in the tunnel] and blowing ourselves up

The operation is not over. Dozens of people are still believed to be inside, and Dix estimated that crews had dug about 60 metres from the entrance, with more work still required.

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Don't worry, we're here to rescue you