Rescue teams pull two workers alive from a mud-filled hydropower tunnel in Rasuwa after days of intensive search operations.
Web Desk: Two workers have been rescued alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal, nine days after devastating flash floods buried parts of the facility and left them trapped underground.
The workers were pulled from the tunnel in Rasuwa district, where rescue teams have been searching for people missing since the floods swept through the Trishuli Valley on August 26.
Their rescue has brought a major breakthrough to an operation that had continued for days amid huge quantities of mud, rocks and debris blocking access to several hydropower facilities.
Workers found alive after nine days
The two workers survived for approximately nine days inside the tunnel before rescuers reached them.
Rescue teams had been using heavy machinery and technical assistance from engineers to identify tunnel routes and possible locations where workers could have taken shelter.
The search was particularly difficult because floodwaters had deposited massive amounts of mud and debris around the hydropower projects.
Engineers helped guide rescue operation
The rescue effort was supported by a WhatsApp network involving hundreds of engineers and technical experts.
Engineers shared tunnel maps, technical drawings and information about underground access routes with officials and rescue teams.
The network also helped authorities collect information about missing workers and identify locations that could potentially provide access to buried sections of hydropower facilities.
Devastating floods hit Trishuli Valley
The floods struck the Trishuli Valley on August 26, causing widespread destruction and severely damaging Nepal’s hydropower infrastructure.
Large quantities of mud, rocks and flood debris covered parts of the valley, while several tunnel entrances were blocked.
Rescuers faced particular difficulties reaching workers believed to be trapped underground because the flood had changed the surrounding terrain and filled sections of tunnels with debris.
Hydropower workers among those missing
Several hydropower facilities in the region were affected by the disaster.
Earlier reports said hundreds of people were missing from multiple hydropower plants, including facilities that were under construction.
Rescue teams had been searching tunnel networks at projects including Chilime, Rasuwagadhi and Upper Trishuli 3A.
At some locations, rescuers used excavators and other heavy equipment to clear access routes, while technical experts provided information about the underground layouts.
Rescue offers hope to families
The recovery of the two workers alive is a significant development for families still waiting for news of missing relatives.
Rescue teams are continuing efforts to locate other people who remain unaccounted for following the floods.
The latest rescue also demonstrates the importance of detailed knowledge of underground infrastructure during disaster operations, with engineers and former hydropower workers contributing information that could help teams reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
Search operations continue
Authorities are expected to continue searching damaged hydropower facilities and other areas affected by the floods.
The discovery of two survivors after nine days could provide renewed hope that other people may have survived in protected sections of tunnels.
Rescue operations remain challenging, however, as teams continue to deal with unstable terrain, blocked passages and large amounts of flood debris.
