Rescuers in Nepal Save Workers from Flooded Hydropower Tunnel

Rescue operations in Nepal achieved a breakthrough as soldiers saved two workers from a tunnel at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project. The rescue comes nine days after floods ravaged areas due to a possible glacier collapse. Local television aired footage of the first worker, covered in mud, being carried by rescuers. Both rescued individuals, identified as a mechanical foreman and supervisor, are in stable condition and have been transported to a hospital in Kathmandu.

The scale of the disaster is immense. Reports indicate that 557 workers from the Trishuli 3A project are missing, with about 115 possibly trapped within the tunnel. Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina expressed the government’s hope for more rescues, stating, “We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people.”

Casualties are substantial, with over 1,259 fatalities and more than 5,000 people missing across the affected regions. Additionally, China reported 21 fatalities and 541 missing on the Tibetan border side. The hydropower projects faced severe impact, with 900 workers missing and 500 trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.