Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from an underground tunnel at a hydropower plant on Friday, raising hopes of reaching dozens of others believed to be trapped after nine days of deadly floods that swept through villages and flooded the Himalayan region with mud and debris.
Nepalese MP Shri Ram Neupane said that search teams heard sounds from inside the tunnel in the morning, which allowed them to locate the two men. The pictures showed a rescuer carrying one of the workers on his back covered in mud, while soldiers from both sides helped him.
One of those rescued said that more people were still alive inside the tunnel, according to army spokesman Brig. General Raja Ram Basnet and the search continues.
Amir Mehrjan, the brother of one of those rescued, told the Associated Press: “I cannot explain what we feel at this moment. We are grateful to God.”
Basnet confirmed the rescue of the first trapped worker, and Neupane posted news of the second on his Facebook page shortly after.
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The two men were airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu, and Maharjan said his family was on their way there. One of the survivors was in critical condition, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Officials identified the two men as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor. They were rescued from a tunnel in the Trishuli 3A factory.
About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, and about 500 workers are believed to be trapped in various tunnels, authorities said.
About 115 people are believed to be trapped in the tunnel in Trishuli 3A alone, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.
Nepalese Communications Minister Bikram Timilsina wrote on his Facebook page that officials were “waiting to rescue more and more people.”
At least 1,287 people were killed in the August 26 floods, likely caused by a glacier collapse, and more than 5,000 people are still missing, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency.
China announced on Friday that 31 people were killed and 531 others were missing on the Tibetan side of the border, according to what was reported by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Nepal’s Disaster Management Agency estimated on Friday that the floods caused at least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees ($2.5 billion) in damage to infrastructure and property.
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