• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. Two workers rescued alive from Nepal hydropower tunnel after nine days.
  2. Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan saved from Upper Trishuli 3A project.
  3. Rescue sparks hope for more survivors; voices heard from tunnels.

Nepal Flash Floods: Two workers were rescued alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal on Friday, nine days after the devastating floods struck the Trishuli River valley. The news has raised hopes that more people trapped inside could still be alive and waiting to be rescued. The disaster, which struck Nepal-Tibet border on August 26 has killed more than 1,200 people and forced tens of thousands of others to leave their homes.

Two Workers Rescued

According to Reuters report, two workers were rescued from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station. They were identified as Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor. The office of Nepal Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha confirmed their rescue in a statement, while also sharing the video of the rescue operation.

Officials and rescue teams believe that the August 26 collapse of a glacier in the upper part of the Trishuli River trapped at least 900 people inside tunnels linked to six hydropower projects along the river.

ALSO READ: Nepal Declares National Mourning On Sept 7; India To Conduct DNA Profiling Of Missing Victims' Kin As 1259 Dead

Condition Of The Workers

According to an aide to the energy minister, Maharjan is unable to move his hands and legs, while Sah's injuries are not considered serious. Both workers are being taken to a hospital in Kathmandu for medical treatment. Maharjan's brother, Amir Maharjan, said that the family had not received official confirmation but had been asked to go to the hospital. “I have been hearing from the news that my brother has been found. The entire family is very happy,” Amir said as quoted by Reuters.

Hope For More Survivors

The rescue has brought hope to families still waiting for news about workers who may remain trapped in the tunnels. Meanwhile, Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Ram Neupane in a post on Facebook said that more voices had been heard from inside the tunnel.

"Information has been received from the rescue team that the voices of people have been heard from inside. When the rescue team said, ‘Don’t panic, we are rescuing you,’ a response was received from inside," he wrote. He added that teams from the Nepalese Army and Armed Police Force were continuing efforts to find and rescue more survivors. Receiving information that people are speaking from inside the tunnel is a promising sign," he said.

ALSO READ: Indigenous GIS Software GeoSARAL Launched: How It Will Help Avert Nepal Floods-Like Disaster

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