Nepal Floods: Nine Days in the Dark, Then a Miracle

New Delhi, September 04, 2026 In a dramatic rescue that has brought renewed hope after days of despair, two workers trapped inside a flooded tunnel in Nepal have been pulled out alive after nine days. The successful operation at the Trishuli-3 'A' Hydropower Project marks a major breakthrough for rescuers who had continued working despite increasingly difficult conditions and fading hopes. Nepal Army personnel had been carrying out an intensive rescue operation for more than a week after devastating floods in the Bhote Koshi River left workers trapped inside the tunnel in Rasuwa. After days of uncertainty, rescue teams finally managed to reach the survivors deep inside the flooded and mud-filled passage. The first worker brought out was Sanjay Sah, 30, a mechanical foreman with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). He was taken to the Nepal Army barracks in Trishuli for medical care. Kabir Maharjan, 45, a supervisor at the Trishuli-3 'A' Hydropower Project, was rescued shortly afterwards. According to reports quoting officials, the two men were located around 170 metres inside the tunnel. "I am so happy. My heart is lighter," Amir Maharjan, the brother of rescued worker Kabir Maharjan, told AFP. Maharjan's wife told the BBC that he was conscious when rescuers brought him out and was being prepared for treatment at Chhauni Hospital, a military hospital in Kathmandu. Reports indicated that both survivors had suffered injuries to their hands and legs, possibly while crawling through the tunnel. Scenes from the rescue site showed Nepal Army personnel emerging from underground with the survivors covered in mud and slush. One was carried on the shoulders of rescuers, while the other was brought out on an orange stretcher. The extraordinary rescue has not only ended nine days of uncertainty for the two men and their families but has also strengthened hopes that more people trapped inside the tunnel could still be found alive.