Overview
- Rescuers pulled mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah and mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan alive from about 170 metres inside the Trishuli 3A tunnel on Friday and airlifted them to hospitals in Kathmandu, with Maharjan reported in critical condition.
- Teams reached the survivors after they heard faint voices, then used excavators, compressors, drilling, controlled blasting and pipes to clear debris and supply air to sealed pockets in the tunnel.
- The breakthrough renews hope for workers still uncontactable at hydropower sites after the Aug. 26 ice‑and‑rock collapse, which researchers say sent a fast, debris‑laden flood down the Bhotekoshi–Trishuli system and has killed more than 1,250 people with thousands still missing.
- Experts and rescuers say long underground hydropower tunnels can hold stable air pockets and trapped water that may sustain people for days but they also pose hazards such as toxic air and blocked passages that force careful, slow clearance.
- Search-and-rescue operations continue across multiple tunnel sites with international technical support while authorities balance urgent rescue work, forensic identification, medical care for survivors and mounting reconstruction and relief needs.