Guwahati: Two workers were rescued alive from a tunnel of Nepal’s Trishuli 3A hydropower project on Friday, nine days after flash floods swept through the area and trapped hundreds of workers, officials said.
Nepali Army Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet said the two men, identified as Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan, were rescued by a joint search-and-rescue team from the tunnel. One of them is a mechanical foreman and the other a mechanical supervisor. Both were placed under medical observation.
The rescue came as teams continued efforts to locate hundreds of workers believed to be trapped inside tunnels across hydropower projects affected by the August 26 floods. Rescuers have also established communication with some workers who remain trapped, according to officials.
The two men were trapped after flooding along the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa on August 26, according to Basnet. Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane also reported the second rescue on his Facebook page after the Army spokesperson confirmed the first.
Rescue teams, including Nepali Army personnel and technical teams from India, China and other countries, have been working through thick layers of mud and debris to reach those trapped inside the tunnels. In some locations, teams have had to bore through tunnel doors or walls, while others have been opened using explosives.
The Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal said 557 workers associated with the Trishuli 3A hydropower project remain missing. Of these, 115 are believed to be trapped inside the main tunnel along the Trishuli River. Search operations are continuing amid hopes that more workers could still be found alive.
Across Nepal, around 900 workers from 12 hydropower projects were reported missing following the floods, with about 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels, according to local authorities.
The floods followed a glacier collapse that sent large volumes of water, rock and debris through two river valleys, killing at least 1,259 people and leaving more than 5,000 missing, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency.
On the Tibet side of the border, China had reported 21 deaths and 541 people missing as of late Wednesday.
The Trishuli and Bhotekoshi river valleys, which have several hydropower projects with extensive underground tunnel systems, were among the areas severely affected by the flooding.