A massive flash flood on 26 August 2026, triggered by a rock and ice avalanche on the Nepal‑China border, swept away villages and inundated the Trishuli River.
The disaster has claimed at least 1,200 lives, with more than 5,000 people still unaccounted for, including hundreds of labourers working in the region’s extensive network of hydropower tunnels.
On Friday 4 September, Nepalese rescue teams succeeded in pulling two workers alive from the Trishuli 3A tunnel, a key component of a major hydropower project in Rasuwa district.
The men were identified as Sanjay Shah, a 30‑year‑old mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a 45‑year‑old mechanical supervisor. Shah was reported to be in a stable condition, while Maharjan suffered injuries that left his hands and legs immobile, according to an aide to the energy minister.
Both survivors were air‑lifted to a military hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.
The operation, overseen by the Nepal Army, was directed by Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet, who confirmed that rescuers first heard faint voices inside the tunnel and responded with reassurance.
Australian tunnelling expert Arnold Dix, president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, said his team had heard a brief response of "hunchha" – a Nepali affirmation – before the workers were extracted.
Dix, who has advised on similar rescues worldwide, travelled to Nepal to support the effort.
Authorities estimate that at least 557 workers are missing from the Trishuli 3A site alone, with about 115 believed to be trapped in the tunnel.
Across twelve hydropower projects, roughly 900 workers are unaccounted for and around 500 are thought to be confined within underground passages, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.
Home Minister Sudan Gurung and Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina both expressed hope that further lives could be saved as teams continue to probe the network of flooded tunnels.
Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha confirmed that the two rescued men have been transferred to Kathmandu hospitals and that rescue crews are preparing to air‑pump oxygen and use excavators to reach additional survivors.
The Nepal Electricity Authority’s senior official, Suresh Raut, warned that the operation remains hazardous, but said the recent success provides a morale boost for the thousands of rescuers still working in the mud‑clogged tunnels.
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Category: International
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