Two Workers Rescued Alive From Nepal Hydropower Tunnel Nine Days After Devastating Floods

In a dramatic rescue that has raised fresh hopes for hundreds of people still missing, two workers have been pulled alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal, nine days after catastrophic floods and landslides swept through the region.

The two men were rescued on Friday from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project in Rasuwa district, where large quantities of mud, rocks and debris had blocked sections of the underground facility.

According to officials, the survivors were a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor. Local reports identified them as Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan. Both were reportedly in stable condition and were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu for medical treatment.

The breakthrough came after rescue teams working their way into the damaged tunnel reported hearing voices from inside.

The discovery immediately intensified efforts to reach the trapped workers, with rescuers carefully clearing mud and debris from the tunnel.

Video and photographs released from the scene showed one of the rescued men heavily covered in mud and being supported by rescuers as he emerged from the tunnel. The second survivor was also carried out of the disaster zone.

The successful rescue has given authorities renewed hope that other workers could still be alive in underground sections of hydropower facilities across the disaster zone.

The August 26 disaster devastated parts of Nepal after a massive surge of water, rocks and debris swept through communities along the Trishuli River. Authorities and experts have linked the flooding to a glacier-related event.

The scale of the disaster has been enormous. Nepal’s disaster management authorities reported at least 1,259 deaths and more than 5,000 people missing, according to the Associated Press.

The country’s hydropower industry has been particularly badly affected.

Authorities estimate that around 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects, while roughly 500 could be trapped inside tunnels, making the rescue effort one of the most challenging aspects of the disaster response.

At the Trishuli 3A project alone, about 115 people are believed to remain trapped in the main tunnel, according to figures cited by the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.

Rescue teams face dangerous conditions as they attempt to penetrate tunnels filled with mud, rocks and other debris. Engineers and security personnel have been working to identify safe routes into the underground passages while trying to avoid further collapses.

The survival of the two workers after nine days has nevertheless strengthened hopes that air pockets or other survivable spaces may exist deeper inside some of the tunnels.

Nepal’s Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina said officials remained hopeful that more people could be brought out alive.

The rescue operation is continuing as teams search for signs of life and work to clear blocked passages.

For families waiting for news of missing workers, the emergence of two survivors after more than a week has offered a rare moment of hope amid one of Nepal’s deadliest recent natural disasters.