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Nepal Rescues Two Workers Trapped in a Tunnel for Nine Days

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Rescuers brought Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan out alive from the Trishuli-3 dam project tunnel in northern Nepal.
  • Authorities say the two men are the first survivors recovered from the tunnel, where about 100 people may still be trapped.
  • The rescue comes after a disaster that has killed at least 1,308 people and left more than 5,600 missing across the Nepal-China border region, according to official figures.

For nine days, hope had been fading inside a tunnel at Nepal's Trishuli-3 dam project. Then rescuers found two workers alive, turning an operation that had yielded only a few bodies into what officials called a miracle.

I am so happy, now my heart is much more at peace.

· Amir MaharjanHe spoke to AFP after rescuers found his brother, one of the two survivors.

The men, identified as 30-year-old mechanical foreman Sanjay Shah and 45-year-old supervisor Kabir Maharjan, were brought out on Friday. Images released by Nepal's Energy Ministry showed one survivor being lifted from the tunnel on a stretcher by helmeted rescuers. Conscious, he clasped his hands in prayer. The second man emerged with mud covering his face and body, and rescuers helped him stand.

Authorities said Shah and Maharjan were the first people to be recovered alive from the tunnel. They estimate that about 100 people could still be trapped there. More than 900 employees and workers from hydroelectric plants are among those missing, according to Nepalese authorities.

The search and rescue operations continue.

· Nepal ArmyThe army said the broader rescue effort was still under way after the two workers were found.

The breakthrough came after rescuers made their first contact with the survivors. Australian deep-rescue specialist Arnold Dix told AFP that workers believed they heard a weak response from inside the tunnel: “yes” or “OK” in Nepali. The rescuers replied, “Don't worry, we are going to rescue you.” Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha first announced that one person had been rescued, and Interior Minister Sudan Gurung soon confirmed a second.

They believe the rescuers received a weak response from inside the tunnel that said 'yes' or 'OK'.

· Arnold DixThe Australian rescue specialist described the first contact with the trapped workers.

The men were found amid a wider catastrophe caused by a torrent of water, ice and debris that destroyed valleys along the Nepal-China border. Official figures put the toll at at least 1,308 dead and more than 5,600 missing. Rescuers from Nepal, India, China and South Korea continue searching tunnels at hydroelectric facilities and dams under construction.

Don't worry, we are going to rescue you.

· RescuersThe rescue team responded after hearing a possible reply from inside the tunnel.
About this summary

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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