Two workers, Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were rescued alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal on Friday, nine days after devastating floods swept the region. Rescue officials had previously detected voices of other workers inside the tunnel, indicating there may be more survivors. The incident occurred at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant, where at least 557 workers are still believed to be missing and about 115 trapped in the main tunnel. A body was also recovered during the rescue operation, which involved 75 army personnel and multiple experts.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
At least 273 people have been killed and over 1,300 are missing after catastrophic floods hit the Nepal-Tibet border, with 25 Canadians among the missing, according to reports. The disaster was triggered by a collapsed glacier in the Himalayas, which sent a massive amount of water rushing through the valleys below. The flooding caused widespread destruction, including the collapse of buildings and bridges, and has left many people displaced.
Initial estimates put the death toll at 177, but it has since risen to 273. The floods were so powerful that they registered a magnitude of 5.2 on the US Geological Survey's scale, making them one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent memory. Rescue teams are still searching for hundreds of missing people along the Nepal-China border.
The collapsed glacier was likely caused by rapidly melting Himalayan ice, which is becoming an increasingly serious issue due to climate change. Scientists say that the glacier collapse was so powerful that it sent a massive amount of water rushing through the valleys below, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.
The disaster has left many people displaced and has highlighted the need for better monitoring and early warning systems in the region. The incident also highlights the risks faced by tourists and pilgrims who travel to the area, with hundreds reported missing or dead.
Written for “Nepal Tibet Flood Disaster” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 74 other(s) covering the same event.
Two workers in Nepal were pulled out alive from a hydropower tunnel Friday, nine days after devastating floods swept the Himalayan region and left thousands of people dead or missing.
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floods → pull → people
In a rare glimmer of hope, emergency teams rescued two men — a mechanical foreman named Sanjay Sah, 30, and a mechanical supervisor named Kabir Maharjan, 45, according to Nepal’s army and the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Authority.
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teams → rescue → army
A body was also recovered, Nepal’s army said.
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army → recover → ?
Two Nepal flood survivors rescued from hydropower tunnel
Rescue officials said the voices of other workers could be heard inside the tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant along the Trishuli River in Nepal’s border district of Rasuwa.
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voices → rescue → Rasuwa
At least 557 workers are still believed to be missing there, with about 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.
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115 → believe → Nepal
In a video shared by Nepalese authorities, Sah said he spent his days trapped underground “chanting mantras to give myself hope” while hearing others trapped and calling out for help.
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he → share → help
Sah said the “primary duty” of his job is “to safeguard everyone’s life,” adding that there were some 40 to 50 people in the tunnel at the time of the incident.
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duty → say → incident
“I made sure to evacuate everyone else, but I didn’t get the chance to escape myself,” he said, speaking from the hospital in the video.
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he → make → video
He said there could still be other survivors on his side of the tunnel, while there could be workers on the powerhouse side of the tunnel “who didn’t make it out in time.”
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who → say → time
Nepal’s army released images of the dramatic rescue on its official Facebook page, including one showing the first rescued worker covered in mud and being carried from the site on a rescuer’s shoulder.
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worker → release → shoulder
“When hope is alive, even the impossible becomes possible,” the image caption read.
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caption → become → ?
Officials said both men were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu, the capital, for treatment.
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men → say → treatment
“I can’t explain what we are feeling at the moment.
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we → explain → moment
We are just grateful to God,” Amir Maharjan, the brother of one of the rescued workers, told The Associated Press.
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Maharjan → rescue → Press
He said the family was on its way to the hospital to see him.
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family → say → him
The large-scale operation has involved 75 army personnel, 18 police officers and multiple experts, the army said.
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army → involve → personnel
Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said one of the survivors told rescuers that more people were still alive inside the tunnel.
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people → say → tunnel
“We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people,” Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina wrote on his Facebook page.
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Timilsina → wait → page
More than 900 workers are missing from about a dozen hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local officials.
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500 → miss → officials
Rescuers have been struggling to access the hydropower projects, many of which are in remote, mountainous areas, with bad weather adding to the difficulties.
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weather → struggle → difficulties
The flooding damaged roads and collapsed sections of tunnels, filling them with mud and other debris and blocking some entrances.
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flooding → damage → entrances
Aided by foreign experts, rescue teams have been working around the clock using controlled blasts, excavators and earth-moving equipment to try to reach the trapped workers amid concerns about air quality in the tunnels and the workers’ access to drinking water.
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teams → aid → water
Nepal’s army said Friday that a separate rescue effort had recovered two bodies from a tunnel at the Langtang Hydropower Project.
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effort → say → Project
Authorities in Nepal say at least 1,287 people were killed and more than 5,000 remain missing after the Aug. 26 disaster, which is believed to have been set off by a high-altitude glacier collapse on the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet region.
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which → say → Nepal
Nepal’s disaster agency estimated Friday that flooding caused at least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees ($2.5 billion) in damage to infrastructure and property.
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flooding → estimate → infrastructure
Rescue efforts are also still underway in China, where a mudslide hit a major land crossing between the two countries, with the only road to the site in Tibet’s Gyirong county fully reopening only Wednesday.
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road → hit → county
Chinese officials say at least 31 people were killed and 531 are missing on the Tibet side of the border.
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531 → say → border
More than 800 foreign nationals are among those missing in the area, which is popular with trekkers and pilgrims.
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which → miss → trekkers
According to the State Department, 75 Americans remained unaccounted for as of Wednesday, while 16 had made their way to safety.
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16 → accord → safety
Sunil Pandey reported from Pokhara, Nepal, and Adela Suliman from London.
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Pandey → report → London
