"Don't panic. We are here to rescue you," a rescue team member said.
On September 4, Reuters, AP, and local media Kathmandu Post reported that a rescue team searching the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant tunnel in central-northern Nepal heard voices through the mud and debris. When the team called out, a voice responded from the darkness, saying, "I understand."
This was the first sign of life confirmed nine days after the devastating floods struck the power plant. The rescue team approached the source of the voice and successfully rescued Sanjay Sah, 30, the mechanical chief, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, the mechanical supervisor.
The Trishuli 3A plant suffered significant damage from the floods that occurred on August 26 near the Nepal-China border. The powerful currents and mud buried the tunnel entrance under debris.
It took nearly six days for the Nepal Army, police, and technical teams to secure access to the entrance. The rescue team used heavy machinery to clear the debris and supplied oxygen to the empty space inside the tunnel as they gradually moved in. The two men were found about 170 meters from the entrance.
Sah, the first to be rescued, was covered in mud. Rescuers pulled him through a narrow gap and carried him out on their shoulders. As he boarded the helicopter, he raised his hand to signal to those waiting for him that he was alive. Maharjan was also rescued shortly after and transported on a stretcher.
At the time of the flood, Sah was working in the control room of the power plant. As the floodwaters surged, he urged his colleagues to evacuate first. In the process of helping others escape, he lost the chance to flee himself and became trapped in the tunnel.
After being cut off from the outside world, he waited for rescue while reciting Hindu prayers. He communicated with a few others nearby through sounds. Following his rescue, Sah suggested that the tunnel's length and the strong currents might have pushed others further inside, indicating the possibility of more survivors.
Maharjan's family also held onto hope for eight days. His wife, Hira Shoba, last spoke to him at 7:30 a.m. on August 26, just before the floods struck.
Shoba expressed her joy, saying, "My husband has been given a second life. We are so happy," and thanked the rescuers who risked their lives to save them. Both men have been transported to a hospital in the capital, Kathmandu, where they are receiving intensive care and are reported to be stable.
These two individuals are the first confirmed survivors found in the hydropower plant tunnel since the floods. Nepalese authorities believe that many more employees may still be trapped in various power plant tunnels, including Trishuli 3A, and continue their search efforts.
The Trishuli 3A plant is located about six kilometers downstream from the Upper Trishuli (UT)-1 hydropower plant, where nine South Korean employees are missing. While this rescue does not provide direct evidence of the missing individuals' survival, the discovery of survivors nine days after the flood raises hopes for further rescues.
The Korean Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) is deploying helicopters, drones, and ground personnel to search the area around the Upper Trishuli plant and possible evacuation routes for the missing. Korea Southeast Power and Doosan Enerbility have also expanded their local search teams and scope.
Biraj Pakta Shrestha, Nepal's Minister of Energy, expressed optimism after the news of the rescue, stating, "As long as there is breath, there is hope. We have not lost hope yet."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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