Two workers pulled alive from Nepal hydropower tunnel nine days after disaster

Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel Friday as emergency teams continued an operation to reach others believed to be trapped inside, The Associated Press reported, citing local officials.

The two men were rescued from the Trishuli 3A tunnel nine days after floods, likely caused by a glacier collapse, devastated towns and swept away villages in Nepal on Aug. 26.

Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane posted about the second rescue on his Facebook page shortly after army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the first trapped worker’s rescue. Officials identified the two men as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor.

Local television news channels showed images of the first rescued worker covered in mud and being carried from the site on a rescuer’s shoulder. Both men were under medical observation, the officials said.

At least 557 workers are missing from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project along the Trishuli River, with about 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.

Officials present at the rescue site said rescuers believe some people may still be alive inside the tunnel.

At least 1,259 people were killed in the floods and more than 5,000 remain missing, according to the country’s disaster management agency. China, as of late Wednesday, said 21 people were killed and 541 were missing on the Tibet side of the border.

About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.