Two workers have been rescued alive from a flooded hydropower tunnel in Nepal, nine days after flash floods swept through the region and trapped scores of people underground.
The men were brought out of the Trishuli 3A hydropower project in the Nuwakot district on Friday, according to Nepalese officials. One of those rescued was identified as Sanjay Sah, while the identity of the second worker was not immediately released.
Rescuers had been trying to reach the workers through the tunnel after heavy mud, rocks and debris blocked the entrance. Officials said rescuers made contact with people inside before the breakthrough, raising hopes that others may still be alive.
Images broadcast by local television showed one of the men covered in mud and being carried from the site on a rescuer’s shoulder. A medical team was sent to assess the workers after their rescue.
The operation has focused on the underground powerhouse, where 42 workers were reported unaccounted for. About 900 workers are believed to be missing from hydropower projects across the flood-hit area, with hundreds thought to be trapped inside tunnels.
Nepali Army and Armed Police Force teams remain at the Trishuli 3A site, while specialist tunnel-rescue teams from China, India and South Korea are supporting operations elsewhere. The Nepalese foreign ministry said international teams were continuing to work alongside the army at several affected projects.
The floods struck on August 26, devastating valleys and towns along the Trishuli River. Officials believe the disaster may have been triggered by a glacier collapse, with thousands of people still missing across Nepal.
The rescue of the two men has renewed efforts to search the remaining tunnels, although access remains difficult because the flood has altered the terrain and filled passages with mud and boulders.
