2 trapped Nepal workers rescued from buried tunnel 9 days after devastating floods, and more voices heard
Kathmandu, Nepal — Rescuers in Nepal pulled two hydropower workers from a tunnel Friday as emergency teams raced to find more survivors, spurred on by the dramatic rescues more than a week after the devastating flash floods that killed more than 1,200 people.
CBS News' Ramy Inocencio said there was hope more survivors could emerge from the tunnel — possibly dozens more — as rescuers heard voices coming from deep inside the structure that the was covered by mud and filled with flood water during last week's catastrophe.
The two men were rescued from the Trishuli 3A tunnel nine days after floods, likely caused by a glacier collapse, devastated towns and swept away villages in Nepal.
Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane posted about the second rescue on his Facebook page shortly after army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the first trapped worker's rescue.
Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told Inocencio in a text message that he was "thrilled" about the two rescues and "hoping to see more survivors." He said it was unclear how many survivors might still be inside the tunnel, but with voices heard, he said the clock was ticking to find and rescue everyone still alive.
Rescuers first heard voices from inside the tunnel Friday morning, enabling them to locate the two men, Neupane said.
Local television news channels showed images of the first rescued worker, covered in mud, being carried from the site on a rescuer's shoulder. Officials said both men were in stable condition and were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu.
Mechanical foreman Sanjay Shah said "thank you" when he was pulled out, but he was then advised not to speak due to his weakened condition, Inocencio reported.
Amir Maharjan, brother of the other rescued worker, mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan, told The Associated Press he "can't explain what we are feeling at the moment. We are just grateful to God." He said the family were on their way to the hospital to see him.
"We couldn't properly eat or drink for 10 days," Kabir Maharjan's wife, Hirashova, told CBS News partner network BBC News. "We were very scared. Now we are all happy. We are even crying."
At least 557 workers from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project along the Trishuli River remain missing, with about 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.
A Nepali energy adviser told Inocencio it was not just a tunnel that goes into the ground next to the Trishuli River, but a system of rooms and chambers that snake up and down, where the workers are apparently stuck.
The adviser also told Inocencio the trapped workers were some of the smartest engineers in Nepal, and they probably have been trying to figure their own way out, and how to get oxygen so they don't run out of air — the biggest risk.
At least 1,287 people were killed in the floods and more than 5,000 remain missing, according to the country's disaster management agency. China, as of late Wednesday, said 21 people were killed and 541 were missing on the Tibet side of the border.
About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.
Prabesh Subedi contributed to this report.
