Nepali foreman rescued from tunnel says he stayed behind to help others

When a wall of ice, rock and debris swept through Nepal's Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project, mechanical foreman Sanjay Shah stayed behind to warn others. He was rescued nine days later, alongside fellow worker Kabir Maharjan.

“I was in the control room in the tunnel. Normally there are four to six people there, but there could have been 40 to 45 people that day,” Shah told army officials from a stretcher, with an oxygen mask over his face.

“My responsibility was to save everyone’s lives. When there was such a big accident, it was not right for me to run away,” he said. Shah said he urged the others to flee as soon as he heard about the disaster upstream. By the time he turned to escape, the tunnel was blocked and he could not get out.

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My responsibility was to save everyone's lives. When there was such a big accident, it was not right for me to run away.

For nine days, Shah remained in darkness, chanting mantras to maintain hope. He said he communicated by shouting with three or four other workers somewhere in the tunnel and believed more people could be trapped deeper inside the mountain. Images released by the Nepali Army showed rescuers carrying him out, his face covered in mud.

Officials believe at least 900 people remain trapped in tunnels connected to six hydropower projects along the Trishuli River. Shah and Maharjan were the first workers rescued from the Upper Trishuli 3A project, although a small group escaped from another tunnel shortly after the disaster.

At least 1,287 people died in Nepal as homes, roads and schools near the border with China's Tibet were swept away. Authorities reported 5,083 missing and thousands displaced. China reported 21 deaths and 541 missing in Tibet. Shah and Maharjan were taken to an army hospital in Kathmandu and remained in intensive care.

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I was in the control room in the tunnel. Normally there are four to six people there, but there could have been 40 to 45 people that day