Rescuers in Nepal have pulled a Chinese worker alive from a hydropower tunnel 10 days after glacier-triggered floods tore through villages and valleys near the border with Tibet, as the death toll rose above 1,300.
Lu Haitao was found inside a 225-metre tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district on Saturday, according to the Nepali Army. He was taken by helicopter to an army hospital, where officials said he was in a stable condition but showing signs of mild hypothermia.
The rescue brings to three the number of workers recovered alive from hydropower tunnels along the Trishuli River since the disaster. Two Nepali workers, Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were rescued from the Upper Trishuli 3A project on Friday after nine days underground.
Images released by the army showed Lu being carried from the tunnel by rescuers before a medic examined him during the helicopter evacuation. Chinese state media reported that he had repeatedly shouted when he saw rescue teams’ lights, but they were unable to hear him.
Rescue operations have focused on a series of hydropower sites where officials believe about 900 people may have been trapped after a glacier collapse on August 26 sent ice, rock and mud through the river valley.
Specialist teams from Nepal, India, China and South Korea are working alongside local rescuers, with heavy machinery being used to clear collapsed structures and blocked tunnel entrances. Nepal’s foreign ministry said more than 9,300 army personnel had been deployed across the affected districts for search and rescue, medical assistance and the recovery of bodies.
Search continues as thousands remain missing
A woman was also rescued alive from a damaged home in Nuwakot district on Saturday. Nepal’s Army said she was found covered in mud and later flown to Kathmandu for treatment.
At least 1,344 people have died in Nepal, according to the country’s disaster management authorities, while almost 4,900 remain missing. China has reported a further 31 deaths in Tibet, with hundreds of people still unaccounted for.
The floods swept away homes, roads and schools across settlements along the Trishuli River, leaving tens of thousands displaced and cutting access to several communities. Authorities have warned that the scale of the destruction is still being assessed.
Despite the rising death toll, officials say the discovery of further survivors has strengthened efforts to reach workers believed to be trapped in other tunnels. Teams are continuing to drill through debris and open access points at sites including Chilime, Langtang and Upper Trishuli 3B.
