Two Workers Rescued Alive From Nepal Hydropower Tunnel Nine Days After Floods
According to Reuters and local disaster authorities, the disaster has left over 1,300 dead and more than 5,600 missing, with total economic losses estimated at $2.56 billion.
The Upper Trishuli Rescue Breakthrough
Search teams operating at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station achieved a major breakthrough on Friday when they successfully extracted mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan and mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah. According to official video releases and reporting by Reuters, the two men had been trapped inside the tunnel network since the August 26 disaster. The disaster unfolded when a wall of ice, rock, and mud tore down the valley, sealing off underground access points across multiple energy projects.
Engineering teams utilizing heavy drilling equipment, non-stop blasting, and coordination through specialized messaging channels converged on the site. Teams from India, South Korea, and China joined the Nepali Army and police forces in the exhaustive excavation. Both survivors were transferred to an army hospital in Kathmandu for intensive medical care, where medical staff confirmed their vital signs remain stable.
Sanjay Sah recounted staying behind in the control room to urge colleagues to evacuate before the floodwaters blocked the exits. “I was in the control room, so my responsibility was to save everyone’s lives. When there was such a big accident, it was not right for me to run away,” Sah stated in a video recording shared by Nepali authorities. Sah added that he kept in contact with several other trapped workers during the ordeal.
Infrastructure Destruction and Mounting Economic Toll
The human and structural toll of the glacial outburst flood continues to strain regional resources. According to Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, property, housing, and infrastructure losses have reached at least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees, or approximately $2.56 billion. At least 7,500 homes were completely destroyed, and authorities estimate that roughly 20,000 houses must be rebuilt across the affected zones.
Commercial insurers face significant exposure from the catastrophe. Industry assessments indicate that commercial insurance claims could surpass $132.3 million, with hydropower generation facilities accounting for the vast majority of liabilities. Rebuilding these complex energy corridors requires specialized engineering oversight and prompt structural stabilization.
Wider Humanitarian Crisis and International Aid
Beyond the structural damage, the disaster has displaced tens of thousands of residents and travelers. According to government figures reported by Agence France-Presse and Reuters, at least 583 foreign nationals, including pilgrims and trekkers, remain unaccounted for. International assistance has ramped up significantly, with Australian disaster response specialists arriving in Kathmandu to support ongoing search efforts.
Aid organizations stress that the logistical hurdles remain immense. “This is an unfolding disaster,” said Abiodun Banire, an official with the UN children’s fund UNICEF, highlighting the vast needs of families sheltering in temporary facilities after roads, bridges, and power plants were washed away. With mortuaries in the region severely overwhelmed, local authorities have begun taking DNA samples from recovered bodies to perform burials while allowing families to retrieve remains later. Government officials have urgently appealed for international donations of more than a thousand freezer units to properly manage the deceased.
As recovery operations transition from immediate rescue to long-term infrastructure stabilization, property owners and municipal planners face complex legal and logistical hurdles.