Two Nepali workers rescued from hydropower plant tunnel 9 days after floods

The rescue of the two men has raised hopes that there may be more survivors

A survivor is carried out after being rescued from inside the tunnel of the Trishuli-3A hydropower project, where he was trapped for nine days following flooding and landslides in Nepal. (AFP/Yonhap)

Two Nepali workers were rescued Friday from a tunnel at a hydropower plant in Nepal’s northern Bagmati Province, nine days after devastating floods swept through the country, as rescue teams continued searching for others who may still be trapped inside.

The Kathmandu Post, citing Shri Ram Neupane, a Nepali lawmaker and engineer who took part in the rescue operation, reported that the two men were pulled from the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant on Friday morning.

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The men were identified as Sanjay Sah, the plant’s mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, its mechanical supervisor.

Nepalese army and police personnel had been digging through the debris after hearing voices from inside the tunnel and establishing communication with those trapped.

Neupane described the moment rescuers made contact.

“The rescue team called out, ‘Don’t panic, we are here to rescue you,’ and received a response from inside saying, ‘Okay,’” Neupane said, according to the Post. 

Rescue teams are continuing their search after receiving information that more people may still be trapped inside the tunnel. The Trishuli 3A plant is equipped with oxygen pipes, raising hopes that other survivors could still be found.

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The Nepalese government estimates that hundreds of people remain trapped at six hydropower plants. Authorities believe more than 90 people may still be alive inside two tunnels in particular.

Nine South Korean workers who remain unaccounted for were working at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project when the disaster struck.