In a stunning turn of events that has brought a flicker of hope to a grieving nation, two laborers were rescued alive from the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Plant in Nepal more than a week after devastating flash floods swept through the Himalayan region. Sanjaya Shah and Kabir Maharjan were airlifted to hospitals in Kathmandu on Friday morning, emerging from a nightmare that had lasted nine days. Authorities report that both men suffered from oxygen deprivation and sustained injuries to their limbs, likely caused by crawling through narrow passages filled with mud and debris.
The rescue followed an grueling effort by emergency teams who spent days blasting holes in the tunnel’s ceiling and digging through nearly 60 meters of wreckage. For hours, rescuers operated under high tension until they finally heard faint voices echoing from the depths. After calling out to the trapped men to stay calm and promising them help was on the way, they received a quiet response that signaled the start of a successful extraction operation. Arnold Dix, president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, noted that while the situation remained dire, these rescues felt like entering miracle country after ten days of relentless heartache.
For the families waiting on the surface, the news arrived as an overwhelming emotional release. Hirashova, the wife of Kabir Maharjan, spoke of her desperation during the long wait, explaining that her family had been unable to eat or sleep while fearing the worst. She described seeing photos of her husband on Facebook before rushing toward the army hospital in Kathmandu, stating that her joy was so intense it left her in tears. Similarly, Kabir’s brother expressed that his heart finally felt lighter knowing his sibling had survived against such staggering odds.
Despite these breakthroughs, a precarious struggle continues for dozens of others. Officials from the Nepal Electricity Authority believe at least 39 more workers remain trapped within the Trishuli 3A tunnel alone, though it is currently unclear how many are still alive. The broader tragedy remains immense, with over 150 people feared trapped at various other hydropower sites across Nepal following floods that have claimed more than 1,200 lives. As excavators continue to clear rubble and pump oxygen into the earth, search teams are racing against time to find any remaining survivors buried beneath the mountainside.