Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel on Friday, continuing an operation to reach others believed to be trapped inside following devastating floods.
The two men were extracted from the Trishuli 3A tunnel nine days after floods, likely caused by a glacier collapse, swept through towns and villages in Nepal on Aug. 26.
One of the rescued workers was seen on local television news channels covered in mud and being carried from the site on a rescuer’s shoulder. Officials identified the two men as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor. Both are under medical observation, according to officials.
Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the rescue of the first worker, and Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane posted about the second rescue on his Facebook page.
Officials at the rescue site believe some people may still be alive inside the tunnel, and Nepal’s Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina expressed hope for more successful extractions. "We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people," Timilsina wrote on his Facebook page.
According to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal, at least 557 workers are missing from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project along the Trishuli River, with approximately 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel.
Nationwide, about 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, local authorities reported. The recent floods killed at least 1,259 people and left over 5,000 missing, according to the country’s disaster management agency. On the Tibetan side of the border, China reported 21 fatalities and 541 missing individuals as of late Wednesday.