Two Workers Rescued Alive From Nepal Tunnel After 10 Days

KATHMANDU, Sep 4: Two workers were rescued alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project, 10 days after they were trapped following the Bhotekohi flash floods disaster in Nepal, officials said on Friday.

The rescued workers were identified as 45-year-old Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor, and 30-year-old Sanjay Sah, a foreman at the project, according to the Public Relations Directorate of the Nepal Army.

The Nepal Army-led security command had been conducting an intensive search and rescue operation using specialised equipment to locate and reach the trapped workers.

The rescue operation gained momentum after rescuers heard voices from inside the tunnel and managed to establish communication with people believed to be trapped there, the Kathmandu Post reported.

Following the breakthrough, personnel from the Nepali Army and Armed Police Force intensified efforts to reach the workers and bring them to safety.

The dramatic rescue came amid the massive devastation caused by flash floods that swept through northern and central Nepal.

The death toll from the disaster rose to 1,282 on Friday, according to Nepal Police.

The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, caused widespread destruction in towns and villages, leaving hundreds dead and many others missing.

Nepal Police said 359 bodies had been recovered in Chitwan, 218 in Nawalparasi East, 208 in Nawalparasi West, 185 in Nuwakot, 72 in Gorkha, 60 in Dhading, 140 in Rasuwa and 38 in Tanahu.

Two more people died while undergoing treatment at hospitals in Kathmandu, taking the overall death toll to 1,282. (AGENCIES)