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Nepal Tunnel Rescue Hope Rises as Survivors Pulled Alive
Confirmed
In Short: Rescuers in Nepal have pulled workers alive from a flooded tunnel nine days after deadly flooding, raising hopes for more survivors from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project.
Rescuers in Nepal have pulled workers alive from a flooded tunnel nine days after deadly flooding, raising hopes for more survivors from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project. According to CBS News, the trapped workers were heard inside the tunnel, with the possibility of dozens more still alive. About 557 workers from the project remain missing, with around 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.
The trapped workers are described as some of the smartest engineers in Nepal, who have been trying to figure their way out and secure oxygen to prevent running out of air, the biggest risk. The system of rooms and chambers in the tunnel, as described by a Nepali energy adviser, adds complexity to the rescue operation.
About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities. The first signs of hope came on Friday morning when searchers heard men's voices in the tunnel. Images showed a rescuer carrying one of the workers on his back, with soldiers assisting on either side.
The rescue efforts are ongoing, with the clock ticking to find and rescue as many survivors as possible. The Trishuli 3A hydropower project, located along the Trishuli River, has been the site of significant flooding, leading to the tragic loss of many workers.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- CBS News' Ramy Inocencio said there was hope more survivors could emerge from the tunnel — possibly dozens more — as rescuers heard voices coming from deep inside the structure that the was covered by mud and filled with flood water during last week's catastrophe.
- Soldiers rescue a worker alive from a tunnel during an ongoing operation at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project in Nepal's Rasuwa district on Sept. 4, 2026. (Nepal Army via AP) "I can’t explain what we are feeling at the moment. We are just grateful to God," Amir Maharjan, the brother of one of those rescued, told the AP.
- One of the workers, covered in mud, is lifted out of the tunnel by rescue teams on Sept. 4, 2026. (Nepal Army via AP) The AP reported that at least 1,287 people have been killed and more than 5,000 remain missing after the Aug. 26 floods, which scientists believe were likely triggered by a glacier collapse.
- Nepal's disaster agency chief told Reuters on Friday that the flooding has likely caused at least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees (about $2.5 billion) in damage to infrastructure and property.
- 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.
- 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.