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Rescue of Nepal hydropower workers ‘triumph for humans and humanity’, tunnelling expert says
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- Two workers, Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharajan, were rescued alive nine days after flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border, trapped in the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel following a glacial collapse.
- Australian engineer Arnold Dix, advising on the rescue, emphasized the significance of finding survivors after a week, boosting hope and guiding ongoing efforts amid challenging conditions including vehicle-sized rock blockages and flooding inside the tunnel.
- Nearly 40 more workers remain trapped in the same tunnel, with rescuers facing life-threatening risks due to water and unstable debris, as they tunnel toward a critical “Goldilocks zone” in the 11-storey power station.
- The disaster has damaged almost 30 hydropower projects, resulting in at least 1,294 deaths and over 5,000 missing in Nepal, with additional casualties reported in China; international teams, including Australian disaster response units, are actively assisting in search, rescue, and relief operations.
- The scale and complexity of this disaster, involving multiple simultaneous emergencies along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, mark it as one of the most challenging rescue operations of the 21st century.
