In Nepal, rescue operations successfully extracted a Chinese man and a woman in separate incidents on Saturday, a week and a half after severe floods ravaged the country. The man was found inside a hydropower tunnel, marking the third worker to be rescued from the Trishuli hydropower project, following the successful retrieval of two Nepalese workers the day before.
The Nepalese army, in collaboration with South Korean disaster experts, managed to rescue the man from a 225-meter tunnel. After the rescue, he underwent a thorough health evaluation. Aerial images captured the man being airlifted by helicopter, with a military medic attending to him during the flight. CCTV released a photo showing two rescuers carrying the man out of the tunnel.
CCTV also shared audio of the man recounting how he repeatedly called out for help whenever he saw the lights of the rescue teams but was not heard until his eventual rescue. Expressing disbelief, he stated, “When they rescued me today, when they shone [the light] before my eyes, I couldn’t believe it.” The man was promptly taken to a hospital and was reported to be in stable condition.
Search efforts have intensified at 12 hydropower sites across Nepal, where around 900 workers remain missing and approximately 500 are suspected to be trapped within various tunnels. Specialized rescue teams from India, China, South Korea, and the United States are combing through debris, damaged structures, and tunnels at these locations in hopes of finding more survivors.
In the flood-stricken town of Nuwakot, a woman was also rescued from a house, as confirmed by Nepal’s army spokesperson on Saturday. She was swiftly evacuated to Kathmandu for medical treatment. Images released by the army depicted rescuers locating the woman covered in mud inside the wrecked residence. After providing her with water, they safely extracted her, wrapping her in a grey blanket.
The devastating floods on August 26, believed to have been triggered by a glacier collapse, have claimed the lives of at least 1,300 individuals, with over 5,000 people still unaccounted for, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency.