Rescuers in Nepal have pulled two more survivors from blocked hydropower tunnels 10 days after catastrophic floods struck the country, while 500 people remain trapped in the same facilities. A woman was also rescued from a flooded house in Nuwakot town, officials confirmed on Saturday.
Rescue operations focus on hydropower tunnels
A joint team of Nepalese military personnel and South Korean disaster experts extracted a man from a 225-meter tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant on Friday, bringing the total number of survivors pulled from the Trishuli hydropower project to three. The rescued man, a Chinese national, was airlifted to a medical facility for evaluation. Images released by Nepal’s army showed rescuers carrying him from the tunnel, with an army medic monitoring his condition during the helicopter evacuation.
Separately, a woman was rescued from a house in flood-hit Nuwakot town and airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment. Authorities did not disclose her nationality or condition. Rescue teams continued digging through mud and rock debris to reach the estimated 500 workers still trapped in at least six hydropower project tunnels blocked by the disaster.
Scale of the disaster and ongoing risks
The floods, which struck on August 26, were triggered by a glacier collapse on the Nepal-Tibet border, unleashing a torrent of ice, rock, mud, and debris. Officials report at least 1,300 deaths and 5,000 missing, with the majority of the missing presumed trapped in the blocked tunnels. Nepal’s Home Minister Sudan Gurung stated that teams were using pipes to pump air into the tunnels to sustain those still inside.
Nepal’s disaster management agency confirmed that 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects across the country, with the majority believed to be in the Trishuli region. Rescue efforts have been complicated by the remote terrain and continued instability of the flood zone.
Survivor accounts highlight the disaster’s suddenness
Rabindra Hamal, a Nepali engineer working at the Upper Trishuli River hydropower plant, described the flood as an “unreal” and terrifying event. Hamal and his colleagues received a warning from upstream workers moments before a massive wave of mud and water engulfed the area. He recounted abandoning a vehicle and running to higher ground, narrowly escaping the flood’s full force. Two colleagues were not as fortunate and were swept away in the disaster.
The floods have left entire communities isolated, with roads and infrastructure severely damaged. Rescue teams, including earth-moving equipment and foreign experts, are working around the clock to clear debris and reach survivors. The operation remains one of the most complex in Nepal’s recent history, with officials warning that the death toll could rise as more bodies are recovered.