Nepali foreman rescued from tunnel says he stayed behind to help others

KATHMANDU, Sept 4 - Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station, chose to stay behind and help others when the mountain above the power plant collapsed. The 30-year-old was rescued on Friday, nine days after the disaster, along with another worker. Sah, who was in the control room at the time of the accident, said he had warned the others to flee immediately upon hearing the news of the disaster upstream.

Despite his efforts, he was unable to escape the tunnel himself. The Nepali Army believes that at least 900 people are trapped in tunnels connected to six hydropower projects along the Trishuli river. Sah and fellow survivor Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor, are the first workers to be rescued from the affected hydropower projects.

So far, 1,287 people have lost their lives, and 5,083 are reported missing, with thousands more displaced. China reports 21 deaths and 541 missing. Sah and Maharjan, who have been taken to an army hospital in Kathmandu and remain in intensive care, are the first to be rescued from the disaster.