Two Survivors Pulled From Nepal’s Trishuli 3A Hydropower Tunnel After Nine Grim Days

When the flash flood ripped through central Nepal on September 1, the roar of water was deafening, the mud‑filled valleys were silent, and more than 1,200 lives were lost. Among the chaos, a concrete tunnel belonging to the Trishuli 3A hydropower project became a grim underground prison.

On September 9, after relentless digging, pumping and a fair share of sleepless nights, rescuers finally pulled two people out of that darkness. The first was Sanjaya Shah, a mechanical foreman with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). He emerged covered in grime, eyes wide, and was immediately hooked up to an oxygen mask before being air‑lifted to Battar, a town northwest of Kathmandu, for further treatment.

Beside him stood Kabir Maharjan, another NEA employee. Though still weak, he managed a faint smile and whispered words of gratitude as he was carried to the surface. His wife, waiting anxiously in Kathmandu, rushed to Chhauni Military Hospital where doctors are now tending to his injuries.

“I have been waiting for this news for days. It gives us hope that more may still come out alive,” said Suresh Chaudhari, a colleague of Shah’s, his voice shaking with relief. The sentiment rippled through the rescue camp, lifting spirits that had been weighed down by the flood’s devastation.

Rescue teams, however, are far from done. Officials believe several more workers remain trapped somewhere in the tunnel’s winding chambers. Engineers continue to monitor air quality, reinforce weakened sections, and dig cautiously, hoping the next breakthrough comes before night falls.

The rescue has become a beacon in a region still reeling from loss. It reminds everyone that even in the bleakest moments, perseverance can pull a faint light from the deepest shadows.