Two Workers Rescued Alive from Nepal Hydropower Tunnel After Nine Days Amid Deadly Flooding

Rescue crews in Nepal extracted two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel nine days after devastating floods inundated the nation, resulting in over 1,000 fatalities and thousands still missing.

Nepalese legislator Shri Ram Neupane informed the Associated Press that rescuers first heard voices inside the tunnel on Friday morning. Photographs released by the Nepal Army depict a responder carrying one of the workers on his back, flanked by soldiers on both sides.

The development has sparked hope that dozens of others believed to be trapped may still be rescued. One of the saved workers indicated that additional individuals remain alive inside the tunnel, said Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet, who added that search operations continue.

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Soldiers pull a worker alive from a tunnel during an ongoing rescue operation at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on September 4, 2026. (Nepal Army via AP)

“I cannot put into words what we are feeling right now; we are simply thankful to God,” said Amir Maharjan, brother of one of the rescued workers, to the Associated Press.

Both individuals were airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu, with one listed in critical condition, according to the Associated Press, citing a statement from the prime minister’s office.

Officials identified the survivors as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor at the Trishuli-3A facility.

On September 4, 2026, a responder carried one of the workers who had been trapped for days in the tunnel at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project, with soldiers positioned on either side. (Nepal Army via AP)

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The Associated Press reported that roughly 115 individuals are believed to remain trapped in the Trishuli-3A tunnel alone, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.

In total, authorities say approximately 900 workers are missing from twelve hydropower plants across Nepal, with around 500 suspected to be confined in tunnels.

Nepal’s Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina posted on his Facebook page that officials “are awaiting the rescue of additional individuals.”

“A sincere thank you to everyone who labored relentlessly day and night to save those two individuals,” Timilsina added.

One of the workers, covered in mud, is hoisted out of the tunnel by rescue teams on September 4, 2026. (Nepal Army via AP)

The Associated Press reported that at least 1,287 people have died and more than 5,000 remain missing following the August 26 floods, which scientists suspect were likely triggered by a glacier collapse.

Chinese authorities said on Wednesday that, on the Tibet side of the border, 21 people were killed and 541 remain missing.

Nepal’s disaster agency chief told Reuters on Friday that the flooding likely caused damage amounting to at least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees (approximately $2.5 billion) to infrastructure and property.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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