Emergency rescue teams in Nepal achieved a significant breakthrough on Friday, successfully pulling two workers alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project. The men, identified as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor, had been trapped for nine days following massive floods that devastated local towns and swept away villages on August 26. The disaster is believed to have been triggered by a sudden glacier collapse.
Official confirmation of the rescue came from army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, with Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane later sharing details about the second survivor on his Facebook page. Local television footage captured the moment the first worker was brought out of the site, covered in mud and carried by a rescuer. Both individuals were reported to be in stable condition and were transported by air to a hospital in Kathmandu for further treatment.
The scale of the disaster remains immense. According to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal, at least 557 workers are currently missing from the Trishuli-3A project alone, with approximately 115 believed to be trapped within the main tunnel. Across the country, authorities report that about 900 workers are missing from 12 separate hydropower projects, with roughly 500 estimated to be trapped in underground tunnels.
Despite the time elapsed since the initial flooding, officials at the rescue site expressed optimism that others may still be found alive. Nepal's Communication Minister, Bikram Timilsina, echoed this sentiment on social media, stating that the government is waiting for the recovery of more people. According to the national disaster management agency, the floods have claimed at least 1,259 lives in Nepal, with more than 5,000 people still reported missing. Across the border in Tibet, Chinese officials reported 21 deaths and 541 missing persons as of late Wednesday.
In this photo provided by the Nepal Army, soldiers rescue a worker alive from a tunnel during an ongoing operation at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project in Nepal's Rasuwa district, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. Nepal Army/via AP hide caption
