Rescuers recover two workers from Nepal tunnel
KATHMANDU, Nepal — Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a tunnel Friday during an ongoing operation at the Trishul 3A tunnel, reports BritPanorama.
Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane reported the second rescue on his Facebook page shortly after army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the first worker’s successful extraction. The two individuals have been identified as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor.
The rescues come nine days after the floods on August 26, likely triggered by a glacier collapse, which devastated towns and valleys across Nepal. Local television news channels broadcast images of the first rescued worker, visibly covered in mud and being carried from the site by rescuers. Both men are currently under medical observation, according to officials.
At least 557 workers are missing from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project along the Trishuli River, with approximately 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel, as confirmed by the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal. Rescuers maintain that there may still be individuals alive inside the tunnel.
The scale of the disaster has been significant, with at least 1,259 fatalities reported and over 5,000 individuals still unaccounted for, according to the country’s disaster management agency. On the Tibet side of the border, China has reported 21 deaths and 541 missing as of late Wednesday.
Approximately 900 workers are currently unaccounted for across 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with local authorities estimating that around 500 could be trapped in tunnels.
