Nepal Tunnel Rescue: Two Hydropower Workers Found Alive Nine Days After Trishuli River Disaster

Two workers were rescued alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal on Friday, nine days after an ice, rock and mud slide swept through a valley along the Trishuli River, killing more than 1,200 people and displacing tens of thousands.

The workers were identified as Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor. According to Reuters, they were pulled from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station as rescue teams searched tunnels connected to hydropower projects along the river.

Officials and rescue workers believe the August 26 collapse of a glacier in the upper reaches of the Trishuli River trapped at least 900 people in tunnels linked to six hydropower projects. The office of Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha confirmed that Sah and Maharjan had been rescued alive.

Maharjan cannot move his hands and legs, while Sah's injuries are not critical, an aide to the energy minister told Reuters. The two workers were being taken to a hospital in Kathmandu, he said.

The slide killed more than 1,200 people and displaced tens of thousands, while rescue teams continued searching tunnels linked to the six hydropower projects for people believed to be trapped inside.

Amir Maharjan, Kabir Maharjan’s brother, said he had not received any official news about the rescue but had been told to go to the hospital.

"I have been hearing from the ⁠news ​that my brother has been ​found. The entire family is very happy," Amir said.