Two workers were rescued alive on Friday after being trapped for ten days in a tunnel of the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant in Nepal due to recent floods. Emergency teams continue the search for others who may still be inside the facility.
The survivors have been identified as Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, according to a rescue operation official. Lawmaker and engineer Ram Neupane, who is involved in the efforts, indicated that human voices were heard from inside the tunnel, which led to an intensification of the search. “The rescue team received information that human voices could be heard from inside. Rescue teams from the Nepal Army and Armed Police entered the tunnel and intensified their operations,” Neupane wrote on Facebook.
Neupane mentioned that the voices were from more than one person and that rescuers briefly communicated with them. The rescuers shouted: “Don’t be afraid, we are rescuing you,” and received a response of “Okay.” Initially, the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal had reported that 42 workers and employees were trapped in the underground facility, which has a capacity of 60 megawatts.
The Trishuli 3A hydropower plant is located in the Nuwakot district, north of Kathmandu, one of the areas most affected by the floods and landslides on August 26. The location of Sah and Maharjan came at a time when many operations were focused on recovering bodies, given the time that has passed since the disaster, which left hundreds dead and thousands missing.
More than 500 engineers, officials, and experts are using WhatsApp to coordinate rescue operations in the Trishuli valley, where the floods caused significant damage. As of Friday, only a few bodies had been recovered from the flooded and muddy tunnels. Explosives and excavators have been used to clear blocked areas.
Authorities continue the search for survivors in the tunnel networks of six hydropower plants affected by the deluge. The Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal estimates that nearly 900 people are missing in those projects, at least three of which are under construction. Effective communication among rescuers has been key to locating underground accesses that were covered by 2.2 million tons of mud and debris.
In a notable advance, two workers were rescued on Friday from a tunnel connected to the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower plant, nine days after the floods. Authorities are still searching for possible survivors in five other affected facilities. “The flood altered the terrain around the tunnels and changed their structure, while mud, rocks, dirt, and other debris accumulated inside,” declared Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet. “This is not a normal tunnel closure.”
In Rasuwagadhi, rescuers advanced 250 meters into one of the tunnels before encountering a blockage. Amshu Kiran Shahi, a board member of the Nepal Electricity Authority, emphasized that teams are trying to access again to locate missing persons. “We are trying to access again to search for people,” Shahi indicated, adding that the 46 missing could be in a chamber with access to food and water.
Source: www.infobae.com
