Nine days after a massive flash flood, Nepal rescuers have pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel and found a third body. The flood, thought to be caused by a glacial collapse, devastated villages along the Nepal‑Tibet border.
Now rescuers are combing through seven tunnels that still could be hiding hundreds of people, pumping fresh air into the dark shafts and digging access holes through mud and debris. In one tunnel — the Trishuli 3A hydropower site — they heard faint voices saying, "okay," before pulling Sanjaya Shah and Kabir Maharjan out. Maharjan is in critical condition and Shah is undergoing tests.
The drama continues: engineers are working to clear the mud, while a team led by Col Jhabindra Reshmi has already rescued 400 Nepalis and 270 foreign citizens. Together, they are keeping families hopeful amid the uncertainty.
Scientists say the flooding was triggered by the sudden collapse of a glacier near the Langtang Lirung peak, an event intensified by climate change. Early‑warning systems are still catching up, but the relief efforts are mounting.
Across the border, China reports fewer casualties and little detail about victims, raising questions about what the Chinese government is sharing with the public. Meanwhile, Nepal’s death toll sits at 1,311, with 5,330 still missing.
