A Chinese national was rescued alive from a buried hydropower tunnel in Nepal's Rasuwa district on Saturday, around 10 days after he was trapped following devastating floods and mudslides in the region.
The worker, identified as Luhaitao, was rescued from about 225 metres inside Audit Tunnel 4 at the flood-hit Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project. Rescue personnel pulled him out after a prolonged search operation and took him for medical treatment, as per the Local Media.
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The rescue ops came a day after two Nepali workers were found alive at the same hydropower project, bringing the number of people rescued alive from the affected tunnels to three.
The rescue operation was carried out by a joint team involving the Nepali Army and foreign disaster-management experts, including a South Korean rescue team. Heavy mud, rocks and other debris had buried sections of the tunnel following severe flooding in the area.
The disaster struck Nepal on August 26, when massive flows of mud, rocks, ice and debris swept through areas along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems. The flooding and landslides caused extensive destruction, particularly in areas close to the Nepal-China border.
Official figures cited by Reuters put the death toll at more than 1,300, while more than 5,500 people remain missing following the disaster. Rescue teams are continuing operations in affected areas and are searching tunnels connected to several hydropower projects.
The successful rescue of three workers after days underground has raised hopes that more people could still be found alive. Rescue teams are facing difficult conditions as they clear large quantities of mud and debris from damaged tunnels.
Authorities and rescue workers continue to assess the affected hydropower facilities while searching for those still missing. The latest rescue has provided a rare positive development amid the widespread devastation caused by the floods and landslides.
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