Rescuers in Nepal successfully extracted two workers alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant on Friday, offering renewed hope for the recovery of dozens of others believed to be trapped. This development comes nine days after devastating floods engulfed villages and buried large areas of the Himalayan region under mud and debris.
Search teams first detected voices coming from within the tunnel in the morning, which led them to locate the two men, as reported by Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane. Dramatic images captured during the rescue operation showed a rescuer carrying one of the workers on his back while being aided by soldiers on either side. The successful extrication of these men has fueled optimism among the families of those still missing.
According to Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, an army spokesperson, one of the survivors indicated that more individuals are still alive inside the tunnel, prompting ongoing search and rescue efforts. “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, expressed to the media.
The first rescued worker's survival was confirmed by Basnet, with Neupane later posting about the second rescue on his Facebook account. Following their extraction, both men were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu for medical treatment. Maharjan mentioned that his family was en route to the hospital, while reports indicated that one of the survivors was in critical condition.
Officials have identified the rescued individuals as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant. The broader crisis has left about 900 workers unaccounted for across 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with authorities estimating that around 500 of these individuals are trapped in various tunnels. The Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal stated that approximately 115 workers are believed to be trapped within the tunnel at Trishuli 3A alone.
Nepal’s Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina shared an update on his Facebook page, emphasizing that officials remain hopeful and are “waiting for the rescue of more and more people.” The scale of the disaster is staggering, with at least 1,287 confirmed fatalities from the floods that occurred on August 26, likely triggered by a glacier collapse. As efforts continue, over 5,000 individuals are reported still missing in the aftermath of this catastrophe. Additionally, on the Tibetan side of the border, China reported 21 deaths and 541 missing persons due to the same flooding events.
The ramifications of the flooding have been extensive, with Nepal's disaster management agency estimating damages to infrastructure and property at around 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees, equivalent to approximately $2.5 billion. As search and rescue missions progress, the urgency to locate the missing workers increases, underlining the immediate challenges faced by rescuers in this ongoing crisis.
