Nepal Rescuers Pull Two Workers Alive From Hydropower Tunnel

Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive on Friday from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station, nine days after a devastating glacier collapse and mudslide. Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan were recovered after emergency teams heard voices from inside, offering a breakthrough amid thousands still missing.

The Rescue at Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station

Emergency crews working along the Trishuli River reached a milestone on Friday when mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah and mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan were extracted from a blocked subterranean passage. The two men had been trapped since an ice, rock, and mud slide swept through the valley on August 26. Nepal army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the first trapped worker’s rescue, while Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane shared updates of the second extraction on social media.

Rescue personnel first detected faint sounds emerging from the depths of the infrastructure early Friday morning. When search teams called out to inquire if anyone was inside, they received a brief, exhausted response confirming survivors remained underground. Television broadcasts captured footage of Sah and Maharjan emerging covered in dirt, with Sah carried on a worker’s back to a triage tent while Maharjan was lifted out on a stretcher.

Army medical personnel administered oxygen and evaluated vital parameters at a makeshift site near the mouth of the tunnel. Officials confirmed that both men sustained injuries to their hands and legs, likely from navigating the wreckage, alongside oxygen deprivation during their ordeal. Both survivors were subsequently airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu for specialized medical care.

Family Relief and Relentless Search Operations

The successful extraction brought immediate relief to families enduring more than a week of agonizing uncertainty. Amir Maharjan, brother of the rescued supervisor, learned of the breakthrough through broadcast reports before receiving official confirmation. I can’t explain what we are feeling at the moment.

Photo: theglobeandmail.com

Scale of the Disaster Across the Himalayan Region

The disaster that trapped Sah and Maharjan stems from a massive environmental collapse on the upper reaches of the Trishuli River. According to Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha’s office, the August 26 glacier collapse unleashed flash floods that destroyed towns, roadways, and schools near the border with China’s Tibet region. The disaster has claimed at least 1,259 lives in Nepal alone, according to the country’s disaster management agency.

The subterranean infrastructure along the river remains a critical hazard zone. Local authorities report that approximately 900 workers remain unaccounted for across 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped inside various tunnels. At the Trishuli 3A project specifically, the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal notes that 557 workers are missing, with an estimated 115 trapped inside the main passage.

International Impact and Ongoing Rescue Hopes

The tragedy’s reach extends far beyond local communities. Australian authorities reported that 36 nationals remain missing in Nepal following the floods, a figure adjusted downward after two individuals were located safely overnight. Across the northern border, Chinese officials confirmed that the death toll in Tibet reached 21, with 541 individuals still listed as missing.

Nepal Rescuers Pull Two Workers Alive From Hydropower Tunnel — Photo: nbcnews.com

Despite the steep passage of time since the initial flooding, government officials maintain that survival remains possible for others trapped in air pockets within the tunnel networks. Nepal’s Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina emphasized that rescue teams are pressing forward with the operation. We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people, wrote in a social media update.