Miracle rescue: Two workers pulled out alive from Trishuli 3A tunnel in Nepal

Kathmandu: Rescuers on Friday pulled out two men alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project, which was affected by last week’s deadly floods, raising hopes that others could still be trapped inside.

Nine days after a deadly flash flood tore through the Trishuli River corridor, sweeping away everything in its path and causing extensive damage to dozens of hydropower projects, two men employed at the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project were rescued alive.

The Secretariat of the Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation confirmed that Kabir Maharjan, 45, a supervisor for the Hydropower Automation Project of Upper Trishuli 3A from Kathmandu, and Sanjaya Sah, 30, a foreman from Saptari district, were rescued alive.

“They are being taken to hospital in Kathmandu after being airlifted,” the secretariat said.

Sah was rescued earlier on Friday, followed by Maharjan, according to the latest information received from the rescue operation.

The rescue followed an earlier breakthrough in which rescuers heard voices from inside the tunnel and established communication with people believed to be trapped there.

The Nepal Army and Armed Police Force intensified efforts to reach them after the voices were heard.

According to local media reports, the rescue team called out to the trapped workers, asking them not to panic, and sustained efforts eventually paid off.

The flash flood on August 26 swept through the Trishuli River valley, killing at least 1,252 people, while 5,053 people remained missing as of Thursday evening, according to the latest situation report released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

The floods also damaged several hydropower projects, including the 60 MW Upper Trishuli 3A Project, as well as key road links. Search teams have since been working in difficult conditions to locate people who may have been trapped inside tunnels and other structures.

According to the minister’s secretariat, a joint team of the Nepal Army and Armed Police Force, including Chinese experts, has been deployed at the site. The team has been using five excavators, compressors and breakers, while tunnel drilling and holing work has been intensified to clear access to the tunnel.

A large rock was located inside the tunnel, and blasting work was carried out to remove the obstruction and facilitate further search and rescue efforts.

The Trishuli 3A hydropower plant was affected by the devastating floods in the Trishuli and Bhotekoshi river systems, which caused extensive damage to infrastructure in the region.

The Independent Power Producers’ Association, an association of private-sector power developers, said on Thursday evening that as many as 945 people working in 11 hydropower projects affected by the floods remained out of contact.

IANS