Rescue teams pull two workers alive from Nepal flood-buried tunnel

When a sudden flood on Aug 26 buried the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel in mud and debris, the Nepal Army deployed special forces, combat engineers and search-and-rescue teams to locate the workers inside. After days of clearing a 30-metre high pile of boulders and using controlled explosives, crews entered the cable-duct tunnel, the shortest but steepest access point. By the fifth day they had advanced about 100 m, encountering large rocks, sludge and water that required pumping and drainage.

On Friday a faint “hunchha” was heard, leading to the extraction of mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah, 30, and mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan, 45; Sah was stable, Maharjan was taken to intensive care, and an unidentified swollen body was recovered. Authorities believe around 41 workers could still be trapped, and the search continues as teams assess remaining reachable sections.