Rescue operations in Nepal successfully retrieved a Chinese man and a woman separately on Saturday, ten days following the devastating floods that struck the nation. The man was rescued from a hydropower tunnel, making him the third worker rescued from the Trishuli hydropower project. A joint rescue team of Nepalese military personnel and South Korean disaster experts carried out the operation, extracting the man from a 225-meter tunnel. The rescued man underwent a health assessment and was airlifted by helicopter for further medical attention.
Images released by the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV depicted the man being carried out of the tunnel by rescuers. The rescued man expressed his disbelief and gratitude upon being found, recounting how he had repeatedly shouted for help whenever he saw the rescue crews’ lights. He was subsequently taken to the hospital and reported to be in stable condition by CCTV.
Rescue efforts have intensified at 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with around 900 workers missing and an estimated 500 workers believed to be trapped in various tunnels. Specialized rescue teams from India, China, South Korea, and the United States are actively involved in search operations, combing through debris, damaged structures, and tunnels in the hopes of locating more survivors.
Additionally, in flood-affected Nuwakot town, a woman was rescued from a house and airlifted to Kathmandu for medical treatment. Nepal’s army spokesperson confirmed the successful rescue, with images showing rescuers discovering the woman covered in mud inside the damaged structure. The woman was provided with water before being safely extracted, wrapped in a grey blanket.
The devastating floods on August 26, attributed to a glacier collapse, claimed the lives of at least 1,300 individuals, with over 5,000 individuals still unaccounted for, as per Nepal’s disaster management agency.