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

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Rescuers in central Nepal achieved the unthinkable on Friday, pulling two hydropower workers alive from a mud-choked tunnel nine days after catastrophic flash floods ravaged the Himalayan region. The miraculous extraction brings a flicker of hope to a nation mourning over 1,200 dead, even as emergency teams race against time to reach hundreds more believed to be trapped underground.

Against All Odds

The two survivors, identified by officials as mechanical foreman Kabir Maharjan and mechanical supervisor Sanjay Sah, were extracted from a depth of 170 meters at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project. They had been trapped in pitch-black conditions since August 26, when an unprecedented deluge of ice, rock, and debris—likely triggered by a glacial collapse—swept through the Trishuli River corridor. According to statements from Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane and army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, search teams detected voices deep inside the structure early Friday morning, accelerating a frantic excavation effort.

Following their rescue, both men were immediately airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu for emergency medical treatment. "I can't explain what we are feeling at the moment. We are just grateful to god," Amir Maharjan, the brother of one of the rescued men, told reporters as his family rushed to the capital. One of the survivors remains in critical condition, while the other reportedly informed rescuers that more colleagues are still alive further inside the cavernous facility.

A Nation Submerged

The flooding disaster, which struck towns along the Nepal-Tibet border, is one of the deadliest the region has ever seen. The confirmed death toll has soared past 1,200, with entire villages swept away by the sudden torrents.

For days, families of the missing have gathered near the devastated sites, desperately awaiting news. The geography of the disaster zone has severely hampered relief operations. With over 40 bridges destroyed and critical roads rendered impassable, the only open land route to the hardest-hit areas like Rasuwa takes up to 18 hours from Kathmandu. Rescuers are relying heavily on helicopters to deliver food, evacuate the wounded, and transport heavy machinery required to clear blocked tunnel entrances.

The Desperate Search for Hundreds

While Friday's success is being celebrated as a miracle, the scale of the ongoing crisis remains staggering. Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal, noted that the floods severely damaged at least 12 hydropower projects in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. At least 900 workers remain unaccounted for across these sites, with an estimated 500 believed to be trapped within underground passages.

At the Trishuli 3A plant alone, approximately 115 workers were initially reported missing. Rescue teams, aided by foreign engineering experts and military personnel, are meticulously combing through the debris-filled tunnels. The conditions are perilous; the floods forced massive amounts of mud, boulders, and water into the subterranean chambers, collapsing sections and creating a thick sludge that makes physical navigation nearly impossible.

A Stark Warning

The sheer magnitude of this tragedy lays bare a profound challenge for Nepal's developing infrastructure. As the nation taps into its vast hydroelectric potential to fuel economic growth, the rapid construction of mountain dams and tunnels is increasingly colliding with the volatile realities of climate change. Glacial retreats and extreme weather events are rendering these high-altitude zones dangerously unstable. Friday's miraculous rescue is a testament to human resilience and the relentless dedication of search teams, but it also sounds a stark alarm: without rigorous climate adaptation and enhanced disaster preparedness, the mountains that power the region may also become its greatest peril.