Two tunnel workers rescued alive in Nepal 10 days after floods

Two workers trapped inside a hydropower tunnel in Nepal were found alive 10 days after devastating floods and landslides struck the country. Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan were rescued from the Trishuli 3A project on Friday.

Rescue teams began intensifying their efforts after hearing voices from inside the tunnel. Ram Neupane, a lawmaker and engineer involved in the operation, said rescuers confirmed that the voices came from more than one person and briefly established communication with those trapped underground.

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The rescue team has received information that human voices can be heard from inside. Rescue teams from the Nepal Army and Armed Police Force have entered the tunnel and intensified the operation.

The teams shouted, “Don’t be afraid, we are rescuing you,” and received the reply, “Okay,” Neupane said in a Facebook post. Nepal’s Army and Armed Police Force entered the tunnel as the operation expanded.

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Don't be afraid, we are rescuing you.

Initial information from Nepal’s Independent Power Producers’ Association indicated that 42 workers and employees had been trapped in the underground facility. The 60-megawatt Trishuli 3A project lies in Nuwakot district, north of Kathmandu, one of the areas hit by the flooding.

The rescue formed part of a broad search operation launched after the Aug. 26 floods and landslides, which killed hundreds and left thousands missing. The rescue of Sah and Maharjan came as the chances of finding survivors had fallen and many teams had shifted toward recovering bodies and identifying victims. Emergency crews continued searching for others believed to be inside.

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Okay.