‘Miracle’ rescue renews hope as Nepal flood death toll crosses 1,200

Nepali soldiers pull out a hydropower worker alive from a debris-filled tunnel at the Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district on September 4, 2026. — Nepal Army handout pic via AFP

First Published: Saturday, 05 Sep 2026 2:33 PM MYT

KATHMANDU, Sept 5 — Inspired by the “miracle” rescue of two hydropower workers, Nepal’s emergency response teams were digging with new vigour Saturday through piles of debris as the death toll from the flooding disaster crossed 1,200.

The rescued pair were among hundreds of hydropower workers who went missing since a tsunami-like wall of water and mud swept through the China-Nepal border following a vast glacial and rock collapse on August 26.

So far, 1,294 bodies have been recovered in Nepal, according to the disaster agency, with 5,053 people missing.

In China, state media said 31 people had been killed and 531 were missing.

That takes the overall death toll to 1,325 people, with 5,584 missing.

“We have been working since morning on search and rescue operations,” Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet told AFP on Saturday.

Searches continued at the Trishuli 3A tunnel where the two men were rescued on Friday, as well as multiple other sites, with at least 12 hydropower projects destroyed by the floods.

‘The work goes on’ 

“Work is also underway at the tunnels,” Basnet said.

“We don’t have an update yet, but the work goes on.”

The government initially said it believed more than 100 workers could be alive inside multiple tunnels.

Nepali soldiers carry one of two rescued hydropower workers from a debris-filled tunnel at the Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district on September 4, 2026, more than a week after the catastrophic flood that has been hailed a ‘miracle’. — Nepal Army handout pic via AFP

Rescuers called it a “miracle” after the two men, caked in mud, were pulled out alive after being trapped for nine days.

They were taken to hospital and are said to be in a stable condition.

Experts from India, China, Australia and South Korea have been aiding Nepali rescuers in their search of survivors inside blocked tunnels.

With morgues overflowing, some 1,030 bodies hade been buried in mass graves after taking DNA samples for future identification by family members, Nepal Police said Saturday.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah promised to provide “safe and comfortable accommodation” for thousands of people displaced by the diaster and currently living in temporary relief camps.

“We know that staying there (camps) is not easy for you,” he said in an emotional post on social media late Friday.

“(But) we will once again create an environment where you can dream about and build your future.” — AFP