Two trapped hydropower workers rescued from mud-clogged tunnel in Nepal

Rescue teams on Friday freed two hydropower workers who had been trapped for more than a week in a tunnel buried by mud and debris after the catastrophic flood that struck Nepal’s remote Himalayan region on August 26. The men, identified by Home Minister Sudan Gurung as Sanjay Shah, 30, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor, were pulled from the Trishuli‑3A hydropower project tunnel in Rasuwa district and taken to a hospital in Kathmandu. Video released by the energy ministry showed rescuers cheering as one worker was lifted from a muddy opening, while a photograph captured the second, covered in mud and praying, being carried away on an orange stretcher. Their brother, Amir Maharjan, expressed relief, saying his heart felt lighter after the rescue.

The successful extraction comes amid a broader crisis in which officials estimate that hundreds of workers remain trapped in tunnels linked to hydropower projects throughout the region. The flood, triggered by a massive wave generated by a rock and ice avalanche along the China‑Nepal border, has already claimed more than 1,250 lives and left over 5,000 people missing. Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha confirmed that the two rescued workers were the first confirmed survivors from the Trishuli‑3A tunnel, adding that earlier estimates suggested more than 100 workers might still be alive inside multiple collapsed tunnels. Searches continue at Trishuli‑3A and other sites, with teams digging through 50‑60 metres of debris in hopes of reaching any remaining survivors.

International expertise is being brought to bear on the operation. Australian rescue specialist Arnold Dix, president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, has been advising the effort remotely and is traveling to Nepal to assist on the ground. Dix reported that rescuers had heard a faint response—“hunchha,” meaning “yes” or “OK”—from inside the tunnel, prompting renewed optimism. He described his outlook as “three‑quarters full,” noting that after a week of relentless searching, the rescue of Shah and Maharjan may signal a turning point in what has become a massive, high‑stakes effort to locate and save the many workers still missing.

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