2 trapped workers rescued from hydropower tunnel 9 days after Nepal floods

Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel in Kathmandu on Friday, nine days after floods likely caused by a glacier collapse swept through the area. Officials said emergency teams were still trying to reach others believed trapped inside, while both rescued men were flown to a hospital in stable condition. Nepalese authorities said at least 557 workers are missing from the project and roughly 115 may be trapped in the main tunnel.

Officials identified the rescued men as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor.

Local television showed the first rescued worker covered in mud and being carried away on a rescuer’s shoulder.

At least 1,259 people were killed in the floods and more than 5,000 remain missing, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency.

About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.

Published Sep 4, 2026 2:12 pm KST

Anil shah, a survivor rescued from a tunnel of the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project nine days after the deadly flash floods and a mudslide, is being carried to be air lifted to Kathmandu from an army base in Nuwakot, Nepal, Sept. 4. Reuters-Yonhap

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel Friday as emergency teams continued an operation to reach others believed to be trapped inside, officials said.

The two men were rescued from the Trishuli 3A tunnel nine days after floods, likely caused by a glacier collapse, devastated towns and swept away villages in Nepal on Aug. 26.

Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane posted about the second rescue on his Facebook page shortly after army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the first trapped worker’s rescue. Officials identified the two men as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor.

Local television news channels showed images of the first rescued worker covered in mud and being carried from the site on a rescuer’s shoulder. Officials said both men were in stable condition and were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu.

At least 557 workers are missing from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project along the Trishuli River, with about 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.

A survivor is carried by members of a search and rescue team after they rescued two people alive who had been trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project following devastating floods and mudslides that struck the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa, Nepal, Sept. 4, in this handout photo by Nepal Army. Reuters-Yonhap

Officials present at the rescue site said rescuers believe some people may still be alive inside the tunnel.

Nepal’s Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina said officials remain hopeful that more workers will be rescued.

“We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people,” Timilsina wrote on his Facebook page.

At least 1,259 people were killed in the floods and more than 5,000 remain missing, according to the country’s disaster management agency. China, as of late Wednesday , said 21 people were killed and 541 were missing on the Tibet side of the border.

尼泊尔救援人员周五在加德满都的特里苏里3A水电站隧道内救出两名幸存工人。此前，疑似冰川崩塌引发的洪水已席卷该地区九天。官员表示，救援队仍在努力营救其他可能被困在隧道内的人员，两名获救男子已被送往医院，目前情况稳定。尼泊尔当局称，该项目至少有557名工人失踪，约有115人可能被困在主隧道内。

官方确认获救人员分别为一名机械工长和一名机械主管。

当地电视台播放了第一名获救工人浑身沾满泥浆，被救援人员扛在肩上带走的画面。

据尼泊尔灾害管理机构称，洪水已造成至少 1259 人死亡，另有 5000 多人失踪。

据当地政府称，尼泊尔12个水电项目中约有900名工人失踪，其中约500人被认为被困在隧道中。

发布于2026年9月4日下午2:12（韩国标准时间）

9月4日，在致命的特里苏里河上游3A水电站发生山洪和泥石流九天后，幸存者阿尼尔·沙阿从隧道中获救。他被从尼泊尔努瓦科特的一个陆军基地抬出，准备空运至加德满都。（路透社-韩联社）

尼泊尔加德满都——官员称，周五，尼泊尔救援人员从一条水电站隧道中救出两名幸存者，紧急救援队继续展开行动，营救其他据信被困在隧道内的人员。

8 月 26 日，洪水可能由冰川崩塌引起，摧毁了尼泊尔的城镇并冲毁了村庄，九天后，两名男子从 Trishuli 3A 隧道中获救。

尼泊尔议员什里·拉姆·纽帕内(Shri Ram Neupane)在陆军发言人拉贾·拉姆·巴斯内特准将(Brigal Gen Raja Ram Basnet)确认首名被困工人获救后不久，便在其Facebook页面上发布了关于第二名被困工人获救的消息。官方确认两名获救男子分别为一名机械工头和一名机械主管。

当地电视台新闻频道播放了第一名获救工人浑身泥泞、被救援人员扛在肩上离开现场的画面。官员表示，两名获救工人目前情况稳定，已被空运至加德满都的一家医院。

据尼泊尔独立电力生产商协会称，特里苏里河沿岸的特里苏里3A水电站项目至少有557名工人失踪，其中约115人被认为被困在主隧道内。

9月4日，尼泊尔拉苏瓦地区博特科西河发生毁灭性洪水和泥石流，特里苏里-3A水电站隧道内两名被困人员遭搜救队救出。图为搜救队成员抬着一名幸存者。（尼泊尔陆军提供）路透社-韩联社

救援现场官员表示，救援人员认为隧道内可能仍有幸存者。

尼泊尔通信部长比克拉姆·蒂米尔西纳表示，官员们仍然希望能够救出更多被困工人。

“我们正在等待越来越多的人获救，”蒂米尔西纳在他的Facebook页面上写道。

据该国灾害管理部门统计，洪灾已造成至少1259人死亡，另有5000多人失踪。截至周三晚间，中国方面表示，西藏一侧的洪灾造成21人死亡，541人失踪。