Overview
- Rescue teams recovered two men from the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric tunnel on Friday after nine days underground; one man is in stable condition and the other is in critical condition at a military hospital in Kathmandu.
- The survivors, identified as Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were found about 170 meters into the tunnel and told rescuers they had heard other voices and believed more people remained alive below.
- Nepal’s disaster agency and industry groups say the Aug. 26 glacier-collapse flood has left more than a thousand dead and several thousand missing, with roughly 900 hydroelectric workers unaccounted for and an estimated 500 possibly trapped in tunnels.
- Operations continue to be slowed by thick mud, collapsed sections and damaged access roads, forcing teams to alternate heavy excavators, drills and compressors with hand digging while receiving technical support from India, China and South Korea.
- The rescues have intensified scrutiny of Himalayan infrastructure and rescue readiness, and have renewed calls for more specialist equipment, faster tunnel-mapping and sustained international aid to reach isolated workers and communities.