In Nepal, rescuers rescued two living workers from a hydroelectric power station tunnel on the Trishuli River. They were trapped after the tunnel was filled with water and mud nine days ago due to catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border. Authorities believe there may be another 39 people in the same tunnel.
The two rescued workers were in a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric power station, one of many on the Trishuli River.
According to local media, after hearing voices from inside the tunnel, rescuers shouted: "Don't panic, we've come to save you." Then they heard a "barely audible response" from inside: "Okay."
The first rescued, Sanjaya Shah, was severely weakened and in a condition that prevented him from speaking, while the second, Kabir Maharajan, “smiled and thanked the rescuers” when they rescued him from the tunnel, local authorities said.
However, the Nepal Prime Minister's Office later reported that Maharjan was in critical condition and was being treated at an army hospital in Kathmandu. Another rescued person was also evacuated to the hospital.
Sanjay Sah is the foreman of the mechanical workshop, Kabir Maharjan is the inspector of the same workshop, Reuters quotes a message from the office of Energy Minister Biraj Bhakt Shrestha.
Shah and Maharjan suffered injuries to their arms and legs while trying to crawl through the tunnel on their own, rescuers told local authorities. Despite the fact that oxygen was pumped into the tunnel from the outside under pressure during the rescue to allow the trapped workers to breathe, both rescued men experienced symptoms of oxygen deprivation.
Suresh Chaudhary, Shah's colleague, told the BBC he was happy to hear the news of his rescue: "I'm so happy, I've been waiting for this news. This gives us hope that others will also be rescued alive.”
Among the more than 5,000 people still missing, several hundred are workers who toiled in the vast network of hydroelectric power station tunnels along the Trishuli River.
Rescue operations are currently underway in six tunnels where more than 150 people are believed to be trapped. The two people rescued on Friday were in the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric power station tunnel downstream of the river.
Officials told BBC Nepal that they believe there may be another 39 people in the tunnel at the plant, but it is not yet known how many of them are alive.
Earlier, a group of rescuers managed to penetrate one of the tunnels, but they did not find anyone underground.
The rescue operation, which has been going on for nine days, is led by an international team of military personnel from China and Nepal and also includes rescuers from India, Korea and Australia.
According to the latest data, the number of confirmed deaths in Nepal and Tibet as a result of the flood that occurred on August 26 after the collapse of the glacier is 1,301 people, and the number of missing is 5,339. Of these, 1,280 were killed and 4,798 were missing in Nepal, the territory of which accounted for the bulk of the mass of water and mud that came down from the mountains. In Tibet, as of Thursday, the death toll had risen to 21, with 541 people still missing.
Several hundred foreign tourists from at least 34 countries, including Russia and Ukraine, continue to be considered missing.
