Full Breakdown
Nine-Day Tunnel Rescue Highlights Ongoing Search for Flood-Trapped Hydropower Workers in Nepal
9/9/2026, 3:14:50 AM
Rescue of Two Workers After Nine Days Underground
On the morning of September 4, rescuers broke through a mud-filled passage in the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel and pulled out mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah and supervisor Kabir Maharjan. Both men had survived in an air-filled chamber for nine days after a glacier-triggered flood on August 26, 2026 collapsed the tunnel entrance. Sah was carried out on a rescuer’s back; Maharjan was stretchered to a military hospital where he later asked his wife, “Where am I?” before recognizing her.
Background: Glacier Collapse and Flood Devastation
A sudden glacier break on August 26 sent a wall of water, ice, rock and mud down the Trishuli valley, wiping out villages, roads and a network of twelve hydropower projects. The disaster killed more than 1,300 people in Nepal and over 40 in Tibet, and left thousands missing.
Timeline of the Rescue
- August 26 – Glacier collapse triggers flood; roughly 900 workers are on-site at hydropower projects.
- September 4 – After three days of drilling and a breakthrough borehole, rescuers hear a faint voice and locate the two trapped men.
- September 5 – A Chinese national, Lu Haitao, is rescued from the Upper Trishuli-1 tunnel (?225 m deep).
- September 5 – A 64-year-old Nepali woman, Chandika Kumari Shrestha, is pulled from a mud-buried house in Nuwakot.
Scale of the Disaster
- Deaths: Reported figures range from 1,300 to 1,398.
- Missing: Estimates vary between 5,000 and more than 5,500.
- Hydropower workers: About 900 are unaccounted for across 12 projects; 121 are believed to be trapped in tunnels.
Official Statements & Responses
- David Bandurski, media analyst, noted that Chinese state outlets “have total information dominance” compared with the open access on the Nepal side.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Everything you drop on that place just goes under,” — Prakash Pokhrel, geologist, Nepal disaster management authority
- “We would call out, 'Where are you? Are you there?'” — Ganga Baral
- “Our search operation is focussed on finding survivors, including in tunnels.” — Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of the country’s disaster authority
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Casualty numbers differ across outlets: Reuters cites “more than 1,300 killed,” Hong Kong FP reports 1,357, while Al Jazeera’s September 6 update lists 1,384. Missing-person tallies also vary, with Reuters at “about 5,000,” Al Jazeera at “more than 5,500,” and the Independent noting “over 5,600.” No source has confirmed whether additional survivors remain in the numerous blocked tunnel sections beyond the three recent rescues.
What’s Next
Authorities continue to focus on three priority tunnels—Upper Trishuli 3A, Upper Trishuli 3B and the Chilime hydroelectric project—where air pockets may still exist. Specialized teams from India, China, South Korea and the United States are deploying high-capacity pumps, drones and ground-penetrating radar to locate further survivors. The United Nations has launched a $50 million flash appeal to support over 84,000 affected people, while Nepal’s disaster agency plans to request additional climate-damage assistance from the UN fund for loss and damage.
The nine-day tunnel rescue underscores both the perilous conditions rescuers face and the lingering uncertainty for hundreds of workers still unaccounted for in Nepal’s devastated hydropower corridor.
