KATHMANDU, Nepal | September 4, 2026 — Rescue teams pulled two hydropower workers alive from a tunnel in Nepal on Friday, nine days after catastrophic flooding swept through the Trishuli River valley, offering renewed hope for hundreds of people still missing from damaged hydropower projects.
The two men, identified as mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah and mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan, were rescued from the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station in Rasuwa district, according to the Associated Press and Reuters. They were taken by helicopter to an army hospital in Kathmandu for treatment. Reuters reported that Sah suffered non-critical injuries, while AP said one of the men was initially in critical condition.
The men were found inside a tunnel after rescue teams heard voices from underground. They had been trapped since August 26, when a massive surge of water, mud, rock and ice struck the area following what authorities and scientists believe was the collapse of a glacier and surrounding mountain material.
The Associated Press reported that about 900 hydropower workers remain missing from 12 projects, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels. At Upper Trishuli 3A alone, about 115 people were believed to be trapped, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.
Rescue operations are continuing with Nepalese security forces, engineers and international technical teams using excavators, pumps and other equipment to clear debris and reach underground structures. Reuters reported that a network of more than 500 engineers and specialists has also been sharing technical information, including tunnel layouts, to support the rescue effort.
Nepal’s disaster management authorities reported that at least 1,287 people had died in the August 26 disaster, with more than 5,000 still missing. China reported additional deaths and missing people on the Tibet side of the border. Nepal’s disaster agency estimated damage to property and infrastructure at about 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees, or $2.5 billion.
The flooding devastated communities along the Trishuli River, destroying homes, roads and bridges and severely damaging the country’s hydropower infrastructure. Reuters reported that the disaster has affected about 10% of Nepal’s power generation capacity.
Upper Trishuli 3A is a 60-megawatt run-of-river hydropower station operated by the Nepal Electricity Authority. The project has two 30-megawatt Francis turbine units and an annual design generation capacity of about 489.76 gigawatt-hours, according to Nepal Electricity Authority records. It began commercial generation in 2019.
The project was significantly delayed by the 2015 Nepal earthquake, which damaged access roads, transmission infrastructure and construction equipment. Construction had begun in 2010-11, with major project financing supported by China’s Export-Import Bank.
Flooding and landslides are recurring hazards in Nepal, particularly during the June-to-September monsoon. Government disaster records identify heavy rainfall, rapid snow and ice melt and glacial lake outburst floods among the major causes of flooding.
The scale of the latest disaster, however, has raised fresh concerns about the vulnerability of communities and critical infrastructure in the rapidly changing Himalayan environment. The September 4 rescue has provided a rare moment of hope as authorities continue searching for those still missing.
For families waiting for news, the survival of Sah and Maharjan after nine days underground has demonstrated that rescue operations can still yield survivors even after catastrophic flooding.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
