No one believed it was possible anymore, but the miracle happened: two workers were rescued alive in Nepal after being trapped for nine days in a tunnel following the terrible flood in the Himalayas.
One of the two survivors was taken out of the tunnel on a stretcher lifted by several men wearing helmets, as shown in images released by the Ministry of Energy. Conscious, he joined his hands in a gesture of prayer. The other miraculously saved man, with his face and body covered in mud, was helped back to his feet by his rescuers, to whom he made a small hand gesture.
These two workers – identified by authorities as Sanjay Shah, a 30-year-old mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a 45-year-old supervisor – are the first to be taken alive from the tunnel of the Trishuli-3 dam construction site. Authorities estimate that there could be around a hundred people trapped there. Meanwhile, the Army indicated as soon as the news was known that “search and rescue operations continue.”
The avalanche of water, ice, and debris that destroyed several valleys in the border region between Nepal and China has caused at least 1,280 deaths and more than 5,600 missing, according to the latest official data.
On the Nepalese side, dozens of rescuers – some from India, China, and South Korea – have since embarked on a race against time to find survivors in the tunnels of hydroelectric plants or dams under construction. In their slow progress through mud and debris, they had only recovered a few lifeless bodies. According to authorities in Nepal, among the missing are more than 900 employees or workers of the hydroelectric plants.
Early Friday morning, authorities announced that the rescuers’ efforts had finally been rewarded, referring to a “miracle.” “We were informed that they have just rescued a person safe and sound from the Trishuli-3 tunnel,” said first the Minister of Energy, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, in a chat group shared with the press. “We just learned that a second person was rescued,” added shortly after his Interior counterpart, Sudan Gurung.
Shortly before the official announcement, a deep rescue specialist participating in the operations, Australian Arnold Dix, reported that contact had been established for the first time with the survivors. “They believe that they (the rescuers) received a weak response from inside (the tunnel) that said ‘hunchha,’ meaning ‘yes’ or ‘OK,’” Dix told AFP. The rescuers responded: “Don’t worry, we are going to rescue you,” he continued.
The two survivors were immediately evacuated by helicopter to the capital, Kathmandu, for medical examinations, according to the Ministry of Energy.
Meanwhile, Nepalese authorities are redoubling their efforts to provide assistance to the tens of thousands of people affected by the disaster. The flood swept away buildings, bridges, roads, and infrastructure in the region, particularly the dams in operation or under construction, now buried under a sea of mud. During a briefing on Thursday before foreign diplomats, Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, referred to a “Himalayan tsunami.”
“Access (to the victims) remains very, very, very difficult,” said Thursday Lila Pieters Yahia, coordinator of UN agencies in Kathmandu. In the most isolated areas, the supply of food, water, and equipment is only possible by helicopter, drone, or people carrying loads. Despite the improvised camps set up by the authorities, the situation of the displaced remains very precarious.
Numerous families remain without news of their missing loved ones and continue to visit hospitals and police stations seeking information. Many of them continue to provide DNA samples to authorities to allow the identification of bodies exhumed by rescue teams.
