Two more pulled from hydropower tunnels 10 days after Nepal floods

The death toll has reached 1,375 while search operations continue along the Trishuli River for missing workers.

Miraculous Survivals Inside Dark Tunnels

Emergency teams rescued a Chinese national named Lu Haitao from a subterranean power plant tunnel encrusted with thick mud. A 60-year-old woman was also saved from the upper floor of a flooded four-story building in the same disaster zone.

Hundreds Fearing Trapped Under Mud

Around 900 workers remain recorded as missing, with two-thirds originating from the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project. Entire facilities along the river were encased in mud when the sudden deluge struck border regions.

High-Tech Tools Guided Search Efforts

Specialists are using satellite pictures, thermal drone cameras, and architectural drawings to find openings into submerged underground complexes. Internal tunnel rooms stretching several kilometers may contain enough air and resources to sustain trapped survivors.

Relief Operations Facing Extreme Terrain

Disaster expert Arnold Dix noted that every individual power station presents distinct geographical hurdles for rescue squads. The total financial damage across affected hydropower assets is estimated to exceed Rs299,382,000 as recovery efforts expand.

These dramatic rescues demonstrate that trapped workers can survive inside subterranean structures even after prolonged isolation. Using satellite imagery and thermal technology significantly improves the odds of locating survivors beneath heavy mud. However, time remains critical as air supplies and basic resources dwindle inside the vast underground facilities.

Also read: 2 Nepal tunnel workers rescued alive after 9 days underground

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