Two trapped workers are pulled alive from Nepal tunnel more than a week after deadly floods

Two workers in Nepal were pulled alive from a hydropower tunnel on Friday, about nine days after catastrophic floods swept the Himalayan region. The rescued men are Sanjay Sah, 30, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor, who were pulled from the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant tunnel in the Rasuwa district near the Nepal–China border. Rescue officials said voices of other workers were heard inside the tunnel, with around 115 believed trapped in the main tunnel and about 557 still listed as missing at the Trishuli 3A site, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal. The Nepali Army released images of the rescue, including one showing the mud-covered survivor being carried from the site. The two survivors were airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment. Family members expressed relief; Amir Maharjan, the brother of one rescued worker, said the family was grateful to God. Officials said more survivors could be found as teams continue to work, aided by foreign experts, amid difficult terrain and weather. Overall, more than 900 workers are missing from about a dozen hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed trapped in tunnels. Flooding damaged roads and tunnels, complicating access; rescue operations involve blasts, excavators, and water-quality concerns. The disaster on Aug. 26 killed at least 1,287 people and left more than 5,000 missing in Nepal. Rescue efforts are also ongoing in China, with casualties and missing reported on the Tibet side.