Two workers rescued after nine days trapped in Nepal flood t

The disaster killed more than 1,300 people and left thousands missing across Nepal and neighbouring Tibet, while several hydropower projects were submerged. Two hydropower workers have been rescued alive after spending nine days trapped inside a flooded tunnel in Nepal, surviving in darkness on an air pocket and muddy water following one of the country's worst flood disasters in decades. Kabir Maharjan and mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah were trapped at the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project after a glacier collapse above Nepal's Trishuli valley on August 26 triggered devastating floods and landslides. The disaster killed more than 1,300 people and left thousands missing across Nepal and neighbouring Tibet, while several hydropower projects were submerged. Maharjan and Sah managed to take shelter in an air-filled chamber inside a cable-duct tunnel that sloped upwards and was less exposed to floodwaters. The location was around 160 metres from the exit. For nine days, the pocket that kept them alive also left them completely cut off. Sah reportedly recited Hindu prayers to keep himself calm, while Maharjan survived by drinking the muddy water surrounding him. The flood struck shortly after workers had entered the hydropower facility for their shifts. Officials initially struggled to understand the scale of the disaster as power stations began disappearing from monitoring systems one after another. An evacuation order was eventually issued, but by then floodwaters had already overwhelmed parts of the project. Some workers trying to escape were swept away, while others were trapped underground. Rescue teams faced extremely difficult conditions. Tunnel entrances were buried under between 15 and 30 metres of mud, rock, timber and debris, while saturated ground prevented heavy machinery from being deployed immediately. Crews had to first create a stable working platform before beginning excavation. They then used drilling, controlled blasting and heavy machinery to work towards the blocked tunnels. A borehole drilled from above eventually helped rescuers determine the tunnel's exact position, allowing them to focus their excavation more accurately. Heavy rain repeatedly disrupted the operation, refilling cleared sections with water and debris and undoing hours of work. It took rescue teams almost six days to reach the buried tunnel entrance. A major breakthrough came on the tenth day when rescuers heard faint sounds while drilling. Teams repeatedly switched off their machinery to listen and gradually determined that someone appeared to be responding from inside. As rescuers moved closer, they eventually spotted a hand in the darkness. Soldiers then opened a small passage through the remaining debris. The trapped men were finally located alive and pulled from the tunnel. Neither was able to stand when rescued. Sah, covered in mud, was carried out on a rescuer's back, while Maharjan, who had suffered more serious injuries, was evacuated on a stretcher. Maharjan was later taken to hospital, where doctors operated on a deep infected wound on his leg. His condition was initially so confused that he reportedly failed to recognise his wife after regaining consciousness. The rescue has given fresh hope to teams searching other damaged hydropower sites, where more than 100 workers were still believed to be trapped in tunnels days after the disaster. A day after Maharjan and Sah were rescued, another worker, Chinese national Lu Haitao, was found alive inside a tunnel at a separate hydropower project.