Rescue teams in Nepal successfully pulled two workers alive from a subterranean hydropower tunnel, nine days after severe flash floods and torrential mudslides submerged the infrastructure. The men were trapped roughly 170 meters underground at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project site, located in a region devastated by recent trans-Himalayan flooding. Military officials confirmed that the workers survived prolonged isolation in adverse conditions before specialized extraction crews managed to clear dense debris and reach their location.
Intensive Rescue Operation in the Trishuli Corridor
The complex operation was coordinated by the Nepalese Army alongside specialized disaster response personnel. According to military spokesperson Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet, responders worked around the clock to clear thick mud, displaced rocks, and flood debris that choked the entrance and access shafts of the Trishuli 3A plant. The facility sits along a river basin that bore the brunt of intense monsoon downpours and cross-border runoff from neighboring Tibet, which caused river levels to rise rapidly and inundate surrounding industrial sites.
Emergency crews had to navigate unstable geological conditions and the risk of secondary collapses while operating heavy excavation machinery. Medical teams stationed at the tunnel entrance provided immediate triage upon the workers' extraction, stabilizing the survivors before transferring them to a regional medical facility for comprehensive evaluation and treatment for dehydration and physical exhaustion.
Aftermath of Extreme Monsoon Flooding
The successful rescue provides a rare moment of relief amid a broader humanitarian crisis triggered by recent seasonal storms. The deluge has caused widespread destruction across central and northern Nepal, triggering massive landslides, washing away key highway networks, and paralyzing several critical energy generation facilities. Hydropower stations across the Trishuli corridor have suffered structural damage, disrupting electricity distribution and raising concerns about infrastructure resilience during the peak monsoon season.
Authorities are continuing search-and-recovery operations in adjacent districts where several individuals remain unaccounted for following the floods. Engineers and disaster management experts have begun conducting structural assessments at the Trishuli 3A site and other affected facilities to evaluate safety risks before any repair work or resumption of operations can proceed.
