Rescue teams have pulled two men alive from a hydropower tunnel buried by debris during the flash flood that devastated Nepal nine days ago. The workers were extracted from the main tunnel at the construction site of the Trishuli 3A plant early Friday, raising hopes of finding more of the hundreds believed trapped in similar tunnels.
The disaster, believed to have been triggered by a partial glacial collapse, killed over 1,200 people and destroyed entire communities as water, rock, and mud surged down Himalayan valleys. The two men, identified as Sanjay Shah, 30, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor, were rescued after being trapped for over a week.
A video released by Nepal’s Ministry of Energy showed rescuers cheering as Shah emerged through a small muddy opening, was helped to his feet, and carried on the backs of emergency workers toward a helicopter. Maharjan, covered in mud, pressed his hands together in prayer as he was carried away on a stretcher. Nepal’s Home Minister Sudan Gurung confirmed their identities, and Maharjan’s brother Amir told AFP, “I am so happy, my heart is lighter.”
The Nepali Army said both men were receiving medical treatment and would be flown to a hospital in Kathmandu, while search and rescue operations continue. They are the first to be rescued from hydropower sites in Nepal, where at least 557 workers remain missing from the Trishuli 3A project alone, with about 115 believed trapped in the main tunnel. An army spokesperson reported that one survivor told rescuers more people are still alive inside.
Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina expressed hope for further rescues, writing on social media, “We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people.” The August 26 flood left over 5,000 missing in Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet, with at least 1,287 confirmed dead in Nepal and tens of thousands displaced. China reported 21 deaths and 541 missing on its side.
Nepal has largely refused international aid, but Australia sent a 15-member drone specialist team, mostly state emergency operatives, on Friday at the Nepali government’s request. Thirty-six Australian citizens remain missing. “We are still holding out hope that people might still be surviving in some sort of locations,” said Jeremy Fewtrell, commissioner of Fire and Rescue New South Wales, at Sydney Airport. The team aims to locate survivors using advanced drone technology, as hopes fade but persist for those still trapped.
Source: www.aljazeera.com