Nepal flash floods: Two people rescued alive from tunnel at Trishuli 3A Hydropower project

KATHMANDU: Days after flash floods wreaked havoc in Nepal, two people have been rescued alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project, the Nepalese Army said on Friday.

Citing Shri Ram Neupane, a lawmaker from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, the Kathmandu Post reported that the two men have been identified as Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor. They have been airlifted to Kathmandu.

As per Army officials, Sah will be treated at Birendra Army Hospital in Chhauni while Maharjan will be taken to the National Trauma Centre. The details of their rescue were also shared by the Nepalese Army in a post on X.

त्रिशूली-3A मा जलविद्युत् आयोजनाको सुरुङभित्रबाट दुई जना व्यक्तिको जिवितै उद्धार #NepaliArmy #नेपालीसेना #BhotekoshiFlood pic.twitter.com/PLiOsN7KjM

— Nepali Army (@NepaliArmyHQ) September 4, 2026

Rescue workers have established communication with people believed to be trapped inside the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A hydropower project, nine days after the disaster struck the Himalayan nation.

The tunnel was sealed by flooding triggered by the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa on August 26. According to the rescue team, voices of more than one person were heard from inside the tunnel during the operation on Friday. Rescuers reportedly told those inside, “Don’t panic, we are rescuing you”, to which they responded, “Yes”.

A rescue team comprising personnel from the Nepali Army and Armed Police Force has entered the tunnel and intensified the search and rescue operation. Direct communication with the trapped individuals is being viewed as a significant and encouraging development in the ongoing rescue effort.

Earlier, Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker and Energy Department chief Shreeram Neupane had said that Nepali Army personnel involved in the rescue operation had received information that people were speaking from inside the tunnel.

“The rescue team has received information from the Nepali Army that voices of people have been heard inside. Teams from the Nepali Army and Armed Police Force have entered the tunnel and intensified the rescue operation”, he wrote on social media. “Hearing people speaking from inside the tunnel is an encouraging sign”.

Neupane, who had been stationed at the project site as an engineer, remained involved in the search and rescue operation until Thursday evening. He praised the efforts of the Nepalese Army, Armed Police Force, technical teams and other rescue personnel and expressed hope that those trapped inside would be rescued safely.
Search and rescue operations have been continuing for nine days to locate and rescue people believed to be trapped inside the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project.
Meanwhile, as developments follow, the death toll in the Nepal floods has risen to 1290, according to the Nepal Police. (ANI)