Nepal Rescuers Pull 2 Men From Buried Hydropower Tunnel, Dig 150m More for Survivors
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 4
Nepal Rescuers Pull 2 Men From Buried Hydropower Tunnel, Dig 150m More for Survivors
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 4
Summary
Two workers — Sanjaya Shah and Kabir Maharjan — were pulled alive from Nepal's Trishuli 3A tunnel after rescuers heard faint voices through debris nine days after the flash flood.
Rescue teams first had to locate the tunnel entrance, which had been buried by an avalanche-like landslide, using old maps, satellite images, helicopter footage and surface markers.
Mud, boulders and standing water then blocked the passage, forcing crews to use precision explosives, excavators, pumps and a person-sized bypass tunnel along the roof to reach the men.
About 60m has been cleared so far, with another 150m to go toward a higher "Goldilocks zone" where more survivors may be sheltering; rescuers still face flooding from both ahead and behind.
The tunnel rescue is unfolding after last week's Nepal-Tibet border flash flood, which has killed about 1,300 people and left dozens still believed trapped at the hydropower site.