Two workers trapped inside a hydropower project tunnel in Nepal for nine days after sudden flooding were rescued alive on Thursday, drawing widespread praise for the rescue teams.
The incident followed a major disaster in the Himalayan region near the Nepal–Tibet border. A section of a large glacier on the Langtang Lirung peak reportedly collapsed on August 26, triggering a massive flow of ice, mud and rocks into a river and causing severe flooding and landslides.
As the debris and floodwaters moved into the Lende Khola river and then into the Trishuli river system, the surge swept away parts of the Gyirong checkpoint area on the China–Nepal border, along with villages, bridges and roads. Water and sludge also entered tunnels of hydropower projects in the region, leaving hundreds of workers trapped.
Rescue efforts intensified after Nepal Army personnel and responders detected human voices from inside the Trishuli 3A hydropower project tunnel in central Nepal. The two workers—identified as Sanjay Shah (30) and Kabir Maharjan (45)—were found about 558 feet inside the tunnel and brought out alive.
Maharjan, who was reported to be in a critical condition, was airlifted to Kathmandu for advanced treatment, while Shah was admitted to a local hospital. Shah said he had been on duty in the control room and urged others to evacuate before he got trapped while trying to exit, adding that more people could still be inside the long tunnel.
