Two hydropower workers were pulled alive from a tunnel in Nepal on Friday, September 4, nine days after deadly floods swept through the Himalayan region.
The men were identified as Sanjay Sah, 30, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor, according to NBC News, citing Nepal’s army and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
The rescue took place at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, near the border with China. Officials said both men were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.
Voices Heard Inside Tunnel
Rescue officials said they heard voices from inside the tunnel before the men were found. The discovery raised hope that more workers may still be alive inside the hydropower project.
Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said one survivor told rescuers that more people were still alive in the tunnel, NBC News reported.
At least 557 workers are still believed to be missing at the Trishuli 3A site, with about 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.
Nepal’s army released images of the rescue on Facebook, including one that showed a rescued worker covered in mud and being carried from the site. The army caption said, “When hope is alive, even the impossible becomes possible.”
Families Wait For More News
The rescue brought relief to families who had been waiting for news for more than a week.
“I can’t explain what we are feeling at the moment. We are just grateful to God,” Amir Maharjan, the brother of one rescued worker, told The Associated Press, according to NBC News.
Nepal’s communication minister, Bikram Timilsina, wrote on Facebook that officials were waiting for the rescue of more people.
Floods Hit Hydropower Projects
The floods surged from the Nepal-China border along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. The water damaged roads, blocked tunnel entrances and filled some areas with mud and debris.
More than 900 workers are missing from about a dozen hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, local officials told NBC News.
Rescue teams have used controlled blasts, excavators and earth-moving equipment to reach blocked areas. Foreign experts have also joined the effort as crews monitor air quality and drinking water access for anyone still trapped.
Disaster Toll Continues To Rise
Nepalese authorities say at least 1,287 people have been killed and more than 5,000 remain missing after the August 26 disaster, NBC News reported.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal said on August 31 that the government had mobilized search, rescue, relief and recovery operations, and urged the public and media to rely on verified information.
The Associated Press reported that the death toll from the Nepal-China floods had exceeded 1,000 by early September, with thousands still missing.
Officials believe the disaster may have been triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse near the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet region.
Rescue work is also continuing on the China side of the border. Chinese officials say at least 21 people were killed and 541 remain missing in Tibet, according to NBC News.
More than 800 foreign nationals are among those missing in the wider disaster zone. NBC News reported that the U.S. State Department said 75 Americans remained unaccounted for as of Wednesday, while 16 had reached safety.
For families waiting outside the tunnels, the rescue of Sah and Maharjan has changed the mood from fading hope to urgent possibility. Officials have not confirmed how many more workers may still be alive.