Two workers trapped for nine days inside a hydropower tunnel in Nepal have been pulled out alive in what rescuers are calling a true miracle. On Friday, teams successfully rescued Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor, from the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station tunnel.
The men were among hundreds of workers caught when a massive ice, rock and mud slide slammed into the Trishuli River valley on August 26. That disaster, triggered by a glacier collapse near the China-Nepal border, has already claimed more than 1,200 lives and left thousands missing. Officials believe at least 900 people remain trapped inside tunnels linked to several hydropower projects along the river.
Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha’s office confirmed the rescue. Maharjan cannot currently move his hands or legs, while Sah’s injuries are not considered critical. Both men are being airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment. Kabir’s brother Amir said the entire family is filled with relief after days of waiting without official news.
Australian rescue expert Arnold Dix, who has been advising the operation remotely, described the moment as a return to “miracle country” after a full week of constant heartache. Earlier on Friday, rescuers reported hearing a faint voice from inside the tunnel saying “hunchha,” meaning yes or okay. They dug through 50 to 60 metres of hard-packed debris before finally reaching the two survivors.
The Nepal Army stated that medical care is underway and that search efforts continue at multiple sites. Until this breakthrough, no tunnel workers had been confirmed alive. Many families had already begun holding symbolic funerals as hopes faded.
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal called the destructive wave a “Himalayan tsunami.” Floods wiped out roads, bridges and several hydropower dams, leaving remote communities completely cut off. The United Nations has warned that delivering aid remains extremely difficult because of the scale of the destruction.
Nepal’s disaster authority reports 1,259 bodies recovered so far, with over 5,000 still missing. The overall toll, including figures from China, stands at 1,280 dead and more than 5,600 unaccounted for. Among the missing are over 800 foreigners from 34 countries.
This rare success has given fresh energy to the ongoing search and rescue operations across the devastated valley.
