Kathmandu – Rescue teams have confirmed that no one else remains alive inside a tunnel at Nepal’s Trishuli 3-A hydropower project, where two workers were rescued alive on Friday, nine days after devastating flash floods struck the country.
A seven-member special team from Nepal’s Armed Police Force (APF), led by Head Constable Pawan Bahadur Tamang, entered the tunnel on Friday, joined by a team from the Nepal Army. After searching through to the end of the tunnel, rescuers said there was no possibility of finding additional survivors—or bodies.
APF officer Ambar Mahat said the entire project area had been buried under mud and earth, with some sections filled with rocks. The rescuers crawled through the tunnel for around 15 to 20 minutes but found nothing other than mud and debris. They also reported that sections of the tunnel’s upper concrete slab had collapsed under the force of the floodwaters.
The tunnel had attracted particular attention after two workers, Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan, were rescued alive on Friday. One other worker’s body was also recovered from the same tunnel.
Earlier, rescuers had reported hearing voices from inside the tunnel, raising hopes that more workers might still be alive. However, a subsequent search of the entire tunnel found no other survivors.
Shah and Maharjan were taken to Kathmandu for medical treatment. After his rescue, Shah said he had delayed his own escape because he was trying to help other workers leave the tunnel after hearing that a flood was approaching.
He said he spent nine days trapped underground, chanting prayers and asking God for help, and had never expected to emerge alive.
The flash floods struck Nepal on August 26 after the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers suddenly swelled. At least six hydropower projects under construction in different parts of the country were affected, with underground powerhouses and tunnels suffering extensive damage.
Nepali media reports have said that around 900 workers were initially reported missing from tunnels at the affected hydropower projects, prompting large-scale search and rescue operations by the Nepal Army and police.
As of Friday, authorities had recovered 1,287 bodies following the devastating floods, while more than 5,300 people remained missing, according to reports.
Clarify the rescue timeline
Separate confirmed and reported figures
Tighten repetitive tunnel details
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