Two men have been rescued alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project, nine days after a glacial-collapse flood struck Nepal. Rescuers and relatives are calling the rescue “miraculous,” following the glacier and landslide disaster on the China-Nepal border on Aug. 26.
At least 1,301 people have died and more than 5,300 remain missing in the disaster so far.
Hirashova, wife of rescued worker Kabir Maharjan, told BBC Nepali: “I saw the photos on Facebook. I was overjoyed. He’s being taken to the army hospital in Kathmandu. I’m on my way to the hospital.”
“We couldn’t eat or drink properly for 10 days. We were very scared. Now we’re all happy. We’re even crying today,” Kabir’s wife Hirashova said.
Kabir was flown by helicopter to Chhauni Military Hospital in Kathmandu for treatment. Waiting outside the hospital was Laxmi Naini, who identified herself as Kabir Maharjan’s sister-in-law.
“It’s a miracle! I’m overjoyed,” Laxmi Naini told AFP. “I found out on social media that he was alive. I couldn’t believe it.”
Shyam Maharjan, 45, another relative of Kabir’s, said: “I have no words to express how I feel.”
Kabir’s brother, Amir Maharjan, told AFP: “I’m so happy, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest.”
On Aug. 26, a massive glacier and rock collapse on a mountain along the China-Nepal border sent a torrent of mud and debris through the region. Kabir and Sanjay Shah were among the hundreds of hydropower workers who had been missing since then. Both were rescued alive today.
Authorities told the BBC that both rescued men have injuries to their hands and feet, likely sustained while crawling out of the tunnel.
Nepal’s prime minister’s office said in a statement that Kabir Maharjan, the second person rescued, is in critical condition and has been placed in the intensive care unit at the army hospital in Kathmandu. Sanjay Shah will also undergo a medical checkup at the same hospital.
Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said in a statement: “As long as there is breath, there is hope. Rescue operations are underway at all the damaged tunnels. May everyone’s efforts and prayers continue. We have not lost hope.”
Home Minister Sudan Gurung said both rescued men are Nepali citizens: Sanjay Shah, 30, a foreman in the mechanical department, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a supervisor in the mechanical department.
Search operations continue at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project, along with rescue efforts at several other sites. At least 12 hydropower projects have been damaged or destroyed in the disaster. The government initially estimated that more than 100 workers could still be alive inside various tunnels.
With assistance from experts in India, China and South Korea, Nepali rescuers continue searching for hydropower workers believed to be trapped and possibly still alive inside the tunnels.