Two hydropower workers have been rescued alive from a tunnel in Nepal, nine days after a glacier collapse triggered a devastating flood of ice, rock and mud along the Trishuli River.
The workers, Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor, were pulled from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station on Friday. Both men were taken to an army hospital in Kathmandu.
Authorities said Maharjan was unable to move his hands and legs, while Sah’s injuries were not considered critical.
They were the first workers rescued from the hydropower projects affected by the disaster.
The rescue has renewed hopes for others still believed to be trapped underground. Officials and rescue workers estimate that at least 900 people are trapped in tunnels connected to six hydropower projects along the river.
Search operations are continuing with support from experts from India, China and South Korea.
Meanwhile, Nepal’s disaster management authority said Friday that 1,287 people have been killed and more than 5,080 remain missing. China has reported 21 deaths and 541 missing in Tibet.
The catastrophe has also caused an estimated $2.56 billion in property, housing and infrastructure losses, while Nepal expects to rebuild about 20,000 homes, including at least 7,500 that were destroyed.
Rescue teams continue searching the affected tunnels and other areas for survivors.
