Nepal Rescuers Pull Worker Alive from Tunnel After Floods
A worker trapped in Nepal's Trishul 3A tunnel was rescued alive, nine days after devastating floods killed over 1,200 people.
Rescuers in Nepal have pulled a worker alive from a tunnel, nine days after catastrophic floods triggered by a glacier collapse devastated the region, an army spokesperson said on Friday.
Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the rescue at the Trishul 3A tunnel, where operations are still underway. Television footage showed the mud-covered worker being carried from the site on a rescuer's shoulder, with a medical team checking his condition.
The floods, which began on August 26, have killed at least 1,259 people in Nepal, with more than 5,000 still missing, according to the country's disaster management agency. On the Tibet side of the border, Chinese authorities reported 21 deaths and 541 missing as of late Wednesday.
Local authorities estimate that about 900 workers are unaccounted for across 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels. The rescue of the worker from the Trishul 3A tunnel offers a rare glimmer of hope amid the ongoing search efforts.