Two men have been pulled alive from a flooded Nepal hydropower tunnel after spending nine days trapped underground.
The rescue of Sanjaya Shah and Kabir Maharjan from the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project came as Nepali Army teams continued battling clogged passages across the disaster zone. Both men sustained injuries to their hands and legs and were airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu, the capital, following their extraction. The floods that trapped them struck on Wednesday, August 26, near Nepal’s border with China’s autonomous Tibet region.
The disaster is believed to have been triggered by a glacier collapse that sent massive amounts of mud, water and ice surging through the area. The death toll has surpassed 1,000, with approximately 4,250 tourists still unaccounted for, according to officials. Nepali authorities have prioritized rescue efforts for workers trapped inside hydropower project tunnels over the search for missing tourists.
Army images showed the two men as they were finally brought to the surface, with regional rescue teams having joined forces to clear the blocked tunnels. However, the operation yielded grim findings as well. After Shah and Maharjan were rescued, the body of a third person was recovered from the same tunnel system.
Suresh Raut, a deputy manager at the Nepal Electricity Authority, described the condition of that body to the BBC: “The body found inside the tunnel is swollen and could not be identified. It appears that the person died after being caught in floodwater while trying to flee from the tunnel.”
At the Upper Trishuli-1 area, a Chinese rescue team pushed approximately 300 meters into a tunnel and recovered one body. Indian rescuers working through the Chilime Hydro tunnel encountered a blockage about 100 meters in, with the update explaining: “Farther inside, was buried with mud and soil. During the operation, two bodies were recovered.”
Authorities are struggling to identify many of the deceased. DNA samples are being taken from bodies found in advanced states of decomposition that are no longer visually identifiable.
The international scope of the disaster remains unclear. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department acknowledged uncertainty about how many Americans may be missing.
The spokesperson wrote: “The United States extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the devastating flash floods in the Rasuwa district of Nepal. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster.” The statement added that Washington was “closely monitoring the situation and is deploying a disaster response advisor to the region to support response efforts.” It concluded: “The Department will also provide $500,000 in assistance through its global award with Catholic Relief Services, supporting emergency shelter, relief items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance to flood-affected communities.”
Dozens of workers are still believed to be trapped in the underground network across multiple hydropower facilities.