KATHMANDU (MNN); Rescue teams in Nepal have pulled a Chinese national alive from a tunnel buried by debris, 10 days after catastrophic flooding devastated areas along the Nepal-China border.
The survivor was rescued on Saturday from around 225 metres inside a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, according to a statement issued by the Nepal Army.
The joint rescue operation involved personnel from the Nepal Army and foreign experts assisting in the search for survivors trapped inside several tunnels.
The rescued man was identified only as Luhaitao. A photograph released by the Nepal Army showed him being supported by two rescuers after his dramatic rescue. Although covered in thick mud, he appeared alert.
Military authorities said his health was being assessed, while search and rescue operations continued at the site.
The man was among hundreds of hydropower workers reported missing after a massive tsunami-like wall of water and mud swept through the region following a huge glacial and rock collapse on August 26.
A day earlier, two Nepali hydropower workers were also rescued alive from the Trishuli 3A tunnel after remaining trapped for nine days.
Their rescue raised hopes that more survivors could still be found inside blocked tunnels, where emergency teams continue their search.
At least 12 hydropower projects were destroyed in the devastating floods.
According to Nepal’s national disaster agency, 1,344 bodies have so far been recovered, while around 5,000 people remain missing.
In neighbouring China, state media reported 31 deaths and 531 missing people, taking the combined death toll to 1,375, with more than 5,500 people still unaccounted for.
Search Operations Intensified
Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said rescue teams were continuing operations inside tunnels in an effort to locate survivors.
Authorities had initially expressed hope that more than 100 workers could still be alive inside several tunnels.
Rescue efforts are being supported by experts from India, China, Australia and South Korea, who are helping Nepali teams search through blocked tunnels and debris.
The discovery of survivors days after the disaster has encouraged rescuers to continue intensive operations despite the difficult conditions.
Thousands Remain in Relief Camps
Meanwhile, Nepal is facing a growing humanitarian challenge as thousands of displaced people continue to live in temporary relief camps.
With morgues overwhelmed, Nepal Police said around 1,030 bodies had been buried in mass graves after DNA samples were collected for future identification.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the government was working to provide safe and comfortable accommodation to those displaced by the disaster.
In a social media message, he acknowledged the hardships faced by people living in relief camps and assured them that the government would help them rebuild their lives.
“We know that staying in the camps is not easy,” he said, adding that the government wanted to create conditions in which affected families could once again plan and build their futures.
