Nepal rescuers try to reach dozens trapped in tunnel after two found alive

A Chinese national has been rescued alive after being trapped in a 738-foot hydropower tunnel for ten days following catastrophic flooding in Nepal. The Nepali Army announced the rescue, stating that the man is currently undergoing a health assessment. He was successfully evacuated using a helicopter, with an army medic monitoring his condition during the flight.

According to authorities, around 900 workers have gone missing from 12 hydropower projects across Nepal, with approximately 500 presumed to be trapped in various tunnels since a wall of mud and debris swept through the region on August 26. The latest rescue follows a similar incident on the previous day, where two hydropower workers were also pulled alive from a tunnel buried by debris.

Chinese state media reported earlier that 31 people were killed in Tibet, 541 remain missing, bringing the overall death toll from the glacial and mountain collapse on August 26 to 1,318 dead and 5,624 missing. Rescuers expressed their excitement upon the man's emergence from a muddy opening, as captured in a video released by the energy ministry.

He was assisted to his feet by rescuers and later transported on the backs of emergency workers before being placed in a helicopter. Nepali rescuers, supported by experts from India, China, and South Korea, have continued their search for survivors believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels; however, teams have repeatedly encountered walls of hard-packed debris.

Until the recent rescue, no tunnel workers had been confirmed alive. Additionally, a woman was rescued alive from a house in Nuwakot town, 10 days after the floods hit the area.