One Chinese Worker Rescued at Nepal Hydropower Site Where Nine South Koreans Are Missing

A Chinese worker rescued from a tunnel in Nepal has given search teams a new lead in the hunt for nine missing South Koreans.

The South Korean overseas emergency rescue team and Nepalese army rescuers found Lu Haitao on Sept. 5, 225 meters inside a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower plant construction site. It was the first time rescuers had found a survivor near the plant since a major flood struck the area on Aug. 26.

Lu showed mild hypothermia when he was rescued but had no significant external injuries, according to reports citing Reuters and South Korea’s Foreign Ministry. A military helicopter took him to a hospital, and he was in stable condition.

The site was where nine South Koreans were working when the flood hit, including six employees of Doosan Enerbility and three from Korea South-East Power. After his rescue, Lu told the South Korean team, “There was one more person near where I was, but I do not know whether that person is alive.”

The statement led the rescue team to prepare a renewed search of the Upper Trishuli-1 tunnel on Sept. 6, while keeping open the possibility that another survivor could still be found.

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There was one more person near where I was, but I do not know whether that person is alive.