Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Two Rescued Alive Nine Days After Nepal Tunnel Disaster
A huge mixture of ice, rocks, mud and water struck Nepal on August 26.
It damaged towns, villages and hydropower projects near the Trishuli River.
Many people died, went missing or had to leave their homes.
Nine days later, rescuers found two workers alive inside a tunnel.
The workers were Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan.
Sah’s vital signs were reported as stable and his injuries were not critical.
Maharjan could not move his hands and legs, according to an energy minister’s aide.
Both men were taken by air to hospitals in Kathmandu.
Rescue teams are still searching because other people may be alive in the tunnels.
Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan were rescued alive from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station nine days after the disaster.
The men, a mechanical foreman and mechanical supervisor, were airlifted to hospitals in Kathmandu for treatment.
Nepal’s reported death toll differed between the articles, ranging from 1,252 to 1,282, while more than 4,200 or 4,700 people remained missing.
Officials believe at least 900 people were trapped in tunnels connected to six hydropower projects along the Trishuli River.
The August 26 ice, rock and mud avalanche caused an estimated 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees, or $2.56 billion, in losses.
- Who
- Hydropower workers Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan were rescued by Nepalese rescue teams.
- What
- The two men were pulled alive from a tunnel after an ice, rock and mud avalanche and flash floods devastated the Trishuli River valley.
- When
- They were rescued on Friday, nine days after the August 26 disaster; the Reuters report dates the rescue to September 4.
- Where
- They were found at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station in Nepal and airlifted to hospitals in Kathmandu.
- Why
- Rescuers were searching tunnels where workers were believed to have been trapped by the disaster.
- Rescued workers
- Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor
- Rescue site
- Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station
- Time trapped
- Nine days
- Nepal casualties
- Articles reported 1,252 to 1,282 deaths and more than 4,200 to 4,700 people missing
- People believed trapped
- At least 900 people in tunnels linked to six hydropower projects
- Economic losses
- At least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees, or $2.56 billion
- Rescue assistance
- The Nepalese Army and police led operations with assistance from experts from India, South Korea and China
