GUWAHATI: At least two workers have been rescued alive on Friday, September 4, from a debris-filled tunnel at the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project in Nepal, nine days after a deadly flash flood swept through the region.
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The two workers, identified as Kabir Maharjan, 45, and Sanjay Shah, 30, were pulled out by rescuers from the tunnel, where they had remained trapped since the disaster on August 26.
Nepal Home Minister Sudan Gurung confirmed their identities. Shah is a mechanical foreman with the Nepal Electricity Authority, while Maharjan works as a supervisor at the Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project.
Both men reportedly suffered injuries to their arms and legs, possibly after being forced to crawl through the tunnel following the collapse and blockage of its entrance.
The rescue operation was launched after 42 workers were reported unaccounted for at the hydropower project. Rescuers had been drilling into the debris-filled tunnel in an attempt to reach those trapped inside.
Videos from the rescue showed workers pulling one of the men through a small opening before carrying him away on a rescuer’s shoulder. Medical personnel subsequently examined the rescued workers.
The breakthrough has raised hopes of finding more survivors. Rescuers reportedly heard voices coming from inside the tunnel, prompting teams to continue efforts to reach other workers who may still be trapped.
The survival of Maharjan and Shah for nine days inside the blocked tunnel has also raised the possibility that air pockets inside the structure may have helped sustain them. Rescue teams are now searching for similar pockets where other workers could potentially have survived.
The Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river valleys were severely affected after a massive surge of water, mud and debris swept through the area on August 26. Several hydropower projects along the rivers were damaged or destroyed.
The disaster was reportedly triggered by the collapse of a melting glacier near the Nepal-China border, sending a massive volume of water and debris into the river valleys.