KATHMANDU: Rescue teams in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel on Friday, nine days after a catastrophic glacier collapse sent ice, rock and mud surging through the Trishuli River valley.
The survivors, identified as mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah and mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan, were rescued from the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station and transported to an army hospital in Kathmandu.
Both men were being treated in intensive care, with their vital signs reported as stable. Maharjan was unable to move his arms and legs following his rescue, while Sah was not believed to have suffered critical injuries.
Sah told rescuers that he had survived his ordeal partly by reciting mantras and suggested that three or four other people could still be alive inside the tunnel, raising hopes of further rescues.
The August 26 disaster began when a glacier collapsed in the upper reaches of the Trishuli River, unleashing a huge mass of ice, rock and mud through communities and infrastructure downstream. Authorities believe about 900 people were trapped in tunnels associated with six hydropower projects.