Rescuers pull 2 trapped workers from a hydropower tunnel 9 days after Nepal floods

Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a tunnel at a hydropower plant Friday, raising hopes of reaching dozens of others believed to be trapped nine days after deadly floods swept away villages and submerged the Himalayan region in mud and debris.

Search teams first heard voices from inside the tunnel in the morning, allowing them to locate the two men, Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane said. Images showed a rescuer carrying one of the workers, covered in mud, on his back, while soldiers on either side helped.

One of those rescued said more people are alive inside the tunnel, according to army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, and the search is ongoing.

“I can’t explain what we are feeling at the moment. We are just grateful to god,” Amir Maharjan, the brother of one of those rescued, told The Associated Press.

Basnet confirmed the first trapped worker’s rescue, and Neupane posted about the second on his Facebook page shortly after.

Both men were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu, and Maharjan said his family was on its way there. One of the survivors was in critical condition, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

Officials identified the men as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor. They were rescued from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A plant.

About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to authorities.

About 115 are believed trapped in the tunnel at Trishuli 3A alone, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.

Nepal’s Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina wrote on his Facebook page that officials “are waiting for the rescue of more and more people.”

Nepal’s disaster agency estimated Friday that flooding caused at least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees ($2.5 billion) in damage to infrastructure and property.

UN appeals for $50 million

The United Nations (UN) appealed Friday for $50 million to help more than 84,000 people in Nepal affected by catastrophic flooding, warning that winter was fast approaching.

The 26 August floods on the China-Nepal border, triggered by a glacial mountain collapse killed more than 1,300 people and left more than 5,600 missing in both countries.

“Time is against them,” the UN office in Nepal said.

“For those who survived, the flood has taken almost everything that made daily life possible,” it added. 

The floods tore through mountain districts, destroying roads, bridges and hydropower dams, AFP reported.

“UN Nepal and partners are appealing for nearly $50 million to deliver cash, food, shelter, clean water, healthcare and other life-saving assistance to the most devastated communities,” it said.

“Health authorities are already watching fever and diarrhoea in displacement centres,” the UN appeal added.

“Human remains and thousands of dead livestock still lie in the debris, raising the risk of communicable disease outbreaks.”

Communities near the epicentre remain cut off.

“Families whose homes are gone need durable shelter in weeks, not months,” the appeal said.

A UN preliminary assessment estimated building damage from Nepal’s floods at $158 million alone, warning that total losses—including damage to roads and bridges, agricultural land and humanitarian costs—would be far higher.

Nepal has suggested the reconstruction bill could run into “billions” of dollars.