Rescue teams in Nepal pulled two workers alive from the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel on Friday, nine days after a glacier collapse caused flooding that devastated towns and swept away villages across the country on 26 August. The two men, identified as Sanjay Shah, 30, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor, were said to be in stable condition and were flown to a hospital in the capital Kathmandu, officials said.
Army spokesperson Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the rescue of the first trapped worker, while Home Minister Sudan Gurung named both men. Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane posted about the second rescue on Facebook, and local television showed images of the first rescued worker being carried from the site covered in mud.
Officials at the rescue site said rescuers believe some people may still be alive inside the tunnel. At least 557 workers remain missing from the Trishuli 3A project, with about 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal. Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina said officials remain hopeful that more workers will be rescued.
Australian rescue expert Arnold Dix, president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, said teams had heard a faint response from inside the tunnel on Friday. Teams had dug through debris blocking the tunnel for 50 to 60 metres and rescuers received what was believed to be a faint reply saying "hunchha," or yes or OK, after calling into the tunnel: "Don't worry, we are rescuing you." Dix said he was en route to Nepal to join the rescue effort.
Rescue teams have recovered more than 1,250 bodies across Nepal following the disaster, with more than 5,000 people missing. The gigantic wave was triggered by a rock and ice avalanche on the China-Nepal border. China reported 21 people killed and 541 missing on the Tibet side as of late Wednesday. About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.
