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🇵🇰 Pakistan /Disasters & Emergencies

Two Nepal Tunnel Workers Rescued More Than a Week After Catastrophic Floods

From Dawn · () English

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

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Rescuers pulled hydropower workers Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan from the Trishuli 3A tunnel after more than a week underground.
  • The men were among hundreds of workers missing after mud and debris swept through the region on Aug. 26.
  • Searches continued at Trishuli 3A and other sites as Nepal reported more than 1,250 deaths and over 5,000 missing people after the disaster.

Cheers erupted as rescuers pulled one of two hydropower workers from a muddy tunnel opening in Nepal, more than a week after catastrophic floods buried the site in debris. A photograph showed the second man, covered in mud and pressing his hands together in prayer, being carried away on an orange stretcher.

The rescued workers were identified as Sanjay Shah, 30, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor. Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha confirmed that rescuers brought one man out of the Trishuli 3A tunnel, followed soon afterward by the second. Home Minister Sudan Gurung announced their names.

I am so happy, my heart is lighter

· Amir MaharjanThe brother of rescued worker Kabir Maharjan described his reaction to the rescue.

“I am so happy, my heart is lighter,” Kabir’s brother, Amir Maharjan, told AFP. The two men were among hundreds of hydropower workers missing since a wall of mud and debris swept through the area on Aug. 26. The government had initially said more than 100 workers might still be alive inside several tunnels, and searches continued at Trishuli 3A and other locations.

Don't worry, we are rescuing you.

· RescuersThe rescue teams called into the buried tunnel after believing they heard a response.

The rescue came less than an hour after Australian tunnel expert Arnold Dix said teams believed they had heard a faint response underground. Rescuers called into the tunnel, “Don’t worry, we are rescuing you.” Dix said the response was believed to be “hunchha”, meaning yes or OK, and that crews had dug through 50 to 60 metres of debris. “Right now, I’m ‘glass three-quarters full’… After a week of 24/7 heartache, we might, just, be back in miracle country,” he told AFP.

The flooding followed a rock and ice avalanche that sent a huge wave down the China-Nepal border. Rescue teams have recovered more than 1,250 bodies, while more than 5,000 people remain missing. Dix, who has advised on tunnel-collapse rescues, was travelling to Nepal to support teams on the ground.

Right now, I’m ‘glass three-quarters full’… After a week of 24/7 heartache, we might, just, be back in miracle country

· Arnold DixThe Australian rescue expert described his cautious hope before the workers were brought out.
About this summary

Originally published by Dawn in English. 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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