KATHMANDU, Sept 5: In a rare breakthrough amid one of Nepal’s deadliest flood disasters, rescue teams on Saturday pulled a Chinese national alive from a tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, nearly 10 days after the devastating flood that swept through Rasuwa.
The survivor, identified as Luhaitao, was found approximately 225 meters inside the tunnel at around 1:30 pm on Saturday, according to the Nepali Army.
The dramatic rescue was carried out by a joint team comprising personnel from the Nepali Army and foreign rescue experts who have been assisting in the search operation since the August 26 disaster. Following the rescue, medical teams immediately began assessing his health condition.
Contractor starts design work, construction of Siddhababa tunne...
Authorities have not yet released details about his physical condition, but officials described the rescue as a significant development in an operation that has largely been marked by uncertainty and grim discoveries.
Search and rescue efforts are continuing inside the tunnel, where authorities fear more workers may still be trapped.
The operation forms part of a broader rescue mission underway at several hydropower projects affected by the catastrophic flooding. Security agencies, including the Nepali Army and the Armed Police Force (APF), have intensified searches inside tunnels and other underground structures along the flood-hit corridor.
On Friday, rescue personnel successfully evacuated two individuals from the tunnel of the Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project, offering another glimmer of hope as teams continue to comb through damaged infrastructure in search of survivors.
The flood, triggered by a massive avalanche-induced surge in the Bhotekoshi River on August 26, has left an unprecedented trail of destruction across Rasuwa and downstream districts. According to the latest official figures, 1,294 people have lost their lives, while 5,053 others remain missing, making it one of the worst disasters in Nepal’s recent history.
For rescue workers battling difficult conditions inside damaged tunnels and debris-filled waterways, Saturday’s rescue provided a rare moment of encouragement in an operation that has stretched on for days against increasingly difficult odds.
