NUWAKOT/KATHMANDU: Two workers have been rescued after spending nine days trapped inside a tunnel at Nepal’s Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station following a major flood and landslide in the Trishuli valley.
Kabir Maharjan and mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah were found alive inside an air pocket in the tunnel after rescue teams cleared layers of mud and debris blocking the facility.
The men were among hundreds of hydropower workers believed to have been trapped after a glacier collapse on August 26 triggered a large landslide and flood in the Trishuli valley.
How were the workers rescued?
Rescue teams faced extensive debris, unstable ground and continuing rain while attempting to reach the buried tunnels.
According to officials involved in the operation, all four access routes to the hydropower facility were blocked by mud, rock, timber and other debris. Some sections were buried under an estimated 15 to 30 metres of landslide material.
Rescuers used heavy machinery, drilling and controlled blasting to reach the tunnel. A five-inch borehole drilled from above helped teams establish the tunnel’s location and guide excavation efforts.
The operation was repeatedly disrupted by rain, which caused water and additional debris to enter excavated sections.
On the 10th day, rescuers reported hearing sounds from inside the tunnel. After cutting through additional debris, they located the trapped workers and created an opening.
The workers were subsequently removed from the tunnel. Sah was carried out by rescuers, while Maharjan was taken out on a stretcher because of more serious injuries.
What happened at the hydropower station?
The flood struck the Trishuli valley after a glacier collapse upstream, damaging infrastructure and affecting several hydropower projects.
Officials monitoring electricity facilities in Kathmandu saw power stations disappear from control systems as the disaster moved through the valley.
At Upper Trishuli 3A, workers were ordered to evacuate after officials became aware of the scale of the flooding. However, some workers were unable to escape before the tunnels and surrounding facilities were overwhelmed.
Officials later identified an escape ladder that they believed could have provided an alternative route for many workers, although those inside were reportedly unaware of its location during the emergency.
Rescue teams subsequently prioritised the hydropower station because its underground structures could potentially contain air pockets and survivors.
The two workers were eventually found approximately 160 metres from the tunnel exit.
A day after their rescue, another survivor, Chinese national Lu Haitao, was found inside a tunnel at the separate Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project.
The disaster has prompted extensive search and rescue operations across the affected valley, with authorities continuing efforts to locate people believed to remain trapped or missing.
Maharjan was later taken to hospital, where doctors treated an infected leg wound. His family said he initially showed signs of confusion after being rescued.