Two Nepalese workers were rescued after 9 days trapped in a hydroelectric tunnel following a flood

In the middle of a hydroelectric tunnel that was buried by flood mud for 9 days, the whispering response echoing from the darkness opened the miracle of saving the lives of two stranded workers in Nepal.

When Arnold Dix, a geologist and engineer from Australia, was asked by the Nepalese government to help find people who might be trapped in hydroelectric tunnels after last week's flash flood, he immediately understood that he was about to face countless harsh challenges ahead.

The first challenge was locating the plant and the tunnel entrances, as the mudflow flattened them all. "It took us nearly two days just to find the old location of the power plant, then consider a rescue plan if there were any survivors," Dix said.

Hundreds of workers have been missing in hydroelectric tunnels since August 26, when a glacial landslide created a violent flood wave that swept through two river valleys, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving more than 4,000 missing in Nepal and border areas in China.

Nepal has strongly developed its hydropower industry by taking advantage of water power from fast-flowing rivers in the Himalayas. These projects require both human strength and complex techniques to dig tunnel systems deep into the ground. Many hydroelectric plants are located along the Bhotekoshi River and the Trishuli River, which suffered the heaviest damage.

Search for 'safe zones' underground

Dix and his colleagues have focused all their efforts on the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric project. His team had to rely on technical drawings of underground structures, satellite images and old diagrams to try to find potential "safe zones", the term he used to refer to small underground spaces where people could cling to survive.

Based on that data, the rescue team knows exactly where to start. Dix said most of the force was concentrated in the cable tunnel, the tunnel connecting the underground factory to the national power grid.

Dix came from Australia to Nepal to directly direct rescue at the scene. He has advised on many underground rescue campaigns around the world, including the Himalayan tunnel collapse 3 years ago, helping to successfully rescue 41 workers trapped for 17 days.

"This rescue operation is very slow and arduous," he said. "Rescuers had to dig through thick mud and use explosives to destroy rocks as big as cars. Once inside, they continued to be hindered by flooded water that needed to be vacuumed."

"We had to dig a large ditch to direct water back to the newly formed river after the flow was distorted by the flash flood. We were afraid that the water flooding the tunnel would wash away both the rescue team and possible survivors," Dix explained.

A whispered response after 9 days of darkness

After that, rescuers opened a small gap along the arch of the cable tunnel to crawl in, calling out to find survivors. Their efforts finally paid off on September 4.

Dix said rescue teams heard a "murmured response" to their calls and at least two workers were found alive. They immediately took two survivors, one of whom was in critical condition, back to Kathmandu for emergency treatment.

The two people rescued were Sanjay Sah, mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, mechanical supervisor. They are all employees of Nepal Electricity Corporation.

According to two sources with knowledge of the rescue operation, more than 40 people are believed to still be trapped inside the tunnel. The source also said that the search team heard other voices, rekindling hope that more victims could be saved. It is unclear exactly how many people are still alive.

"I burst into tears," Dix said of the moment he received the good news.

However, he said challenges still lie ahead for the two people who were just rescued. "They never knew what happened. They were completely isolated from the outside world and had to live in darkness for more than a week," Dix said. "Then they will have to face the tragic news that thousands of people have died, including their friends and colleagues."

With no time to rest, the Australian expert immediately began standardizing experience from Trishuli 3A to develop approaches to other underground hydropower clusters along the border.

"The efforts of the rescue team are extremely extraordinary. They are creating a real miracle amid the rubble," he emphasized.