Two trapped workers, Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were rescued from a hydropower tunnel at the Trishuli 3A construction site in Nepal nine days after catastrophic floods devastated the area. The two men, who are a mechanical foreman and supervisor respectively, were found alive on Friday by rescuers who heard voices coming from inside the tunnel. At least 557 workers are still missing from the project, with around 115 believed to be trapped in the same tunnel. The rescue raises hopes that more workers may still be alive, according to officials.
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.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 3875 · logged 2026-09-04
2 trapped workers rescued from hydropower tunnel 9 days after Nepal floods
Survivor told rescuers more people were still alive inside tunnel, says Nepal army spokesman
Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel Friday, raising hopes of reaching a dozen others believed to be trapped nine days after catastrophic floods devastated towns and swept away villages.
asserted
floods → trap → villages
The two men were rescued from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A construction site.
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men → rescue → site
The rescued workers were Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor, Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha’s office said in a statement.
When the mountain gave way above the Nepali power plant where Sah worked, he said he chose to stay and help instead of fleeing.
"I was in the control room in the tunnel.
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I → rescue → tunnel
Normally there are four to six people there, but there could have been 40 to 45 people that day," the 30-year-old told army officials from a stretcher, an oxygen mask strapped to his face, in a video shared by the Nepalese authorities.
uncertain
old → be → authorities
"My responsibility was to save everyone's lives.
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responsibility → save → lives
When there was such a big accident, it was not right for me to run away."
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me → be → ?
Sah said he had warned the others the moment word came of the disaster upstream, urging them to flee.
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word → say → them
He never made it out himself.
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He → make → it
By the time he turned to run, there was no time left.
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he → turn → time
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.
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Basnet → post → rescue
Basnet said one of the survivors told rescuers that more people were still alive inside the tunnel.
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people → say → tunnel
Rescuers first heard voices from inside the tunnel Friday morning, confirming that people were alive and allowing them to locate the two men, Neupane said.
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Neupane → hear → men
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.
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channels → show → shoulder
One of the survivors was in a critical condition, according to a statement from the Nepal prime minister's office.
uncertain
One → accord → office
Both men were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu.
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men → fly → Kathmandu
"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, brother to 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
Hundreds of other workers still missing
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Hundreds → miss → workers
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 tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.
uncertain
115 → miss → Nepal
Nepal's Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina said officials remain hopeful that more workers will be rescued.
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workers → say → ?
"We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people," Timilsina wrote on his Facebook page.
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Timilsina → wait → page
At least 1,259 people were killed in the Aug. 26 floods, likely caused by a glacier collapse, and more than 5,000 remain missing, according to the country's disaster management agency.
uncertain
5,000 → kill → agency
China said Friday 31 people were killed and 531 were missing on the Tibet side of the border, according to Chinese official news agency Xinhua.
uncertain
531 → say → Xinhua
About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.
uncertain
500 → miss → authorities