Rescue Operation Finds Survivors in Nepal's Collapsed Hydropower Tunnel

A layer of miracles – that’s how tunnelling expert Arnold Dix described the moment his team unearthed two men inside the Trishuli 3A hydropower station, buried by last week’s massive flash flood on the Nepal‑Tibet border.

The rescue effort began with locating an entrance that had literally turned underground by avalanching debris. Daily satellite images, old topographic maps and helicopter footage were triangulated to pinpoint the tunnel’s new hidden mouth.

Once the entrance was found, engineers faced buried mud, rocks larger than cars and a wall of water. Precise explosives were detonated to clear debris, a task usually avoided because of the risk of detonation harming people trapped inside. The Nepalese army’s disciplined use of blasts kept the tunnel from collapsing.

Water was an extra threat. Large trenches were dug from the tunnel to the river line, and pumps were deployed to drain the accumulated water, allowing the team to proceed safely into the dark, water‑logged shaft.

The rescuers carved a ‘tiny tunnel’ the size of a person at the tunnel’s top, using the original tunnel roof to reduce the risk of flooding. In the early hours of Friday, faint voices were heard, confirming life inside. Two men, Sanjaya Shah and Kabir Maharjan, were brought out alive.

Despite the success, the team estimates an additional 150 m of work remains to reach the hydropower station’s interior. They are concerned that additional flooding could occur from either side, potentially drowning the rescuers. Nevertheless, the “Goldilocks zone” – a safe area at the station’s upper level – remains a hopeful target for the ongoing search.

For a fuller account of the operation, read the original BBC report and watch the accompanying video of rescuers navigating the mud‑filled tunnel: More on the rescue.

Source: BBC News, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-...