Two workers rescued alive from Nepal tunnel nine days after catastrophic floods

Sep 2, 2026

Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers, Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan, alive from the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel on September 4, 2026, nine days after a catastrophic glacier collapse on the China-Nepal border triggered massive flash floods. The disaster killed over 1,280 people and left more than 5,500 missing. Roughly 900 hydropower workers are feared trapped in tunnels across 12 projects, prompting an international rescue effort. Meanwhile, Nepal faces $2.56 billion in damages and must rebuild 20,000 homes.

Nepal tunnel rescue operation

▪Sanjay Shah, a 30-year-old mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a 45-year-old mechanical supervisor, were rescued from a depth of 170 meters inside the Trishuli 3A tunnel
▪Rescuers located Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan after hearing faint voices and receiving a response from inside the Trishuli 3A tunnel on the morning of September 4, 2026
▪Rescuers pulled two Nepali workers, Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan, alive from the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel on September 4, 2026, nine days after catastrophic floods

August 26 glacier collapse

▪A glacier collapse on August 26, 2026, on the China-Nepal border triggered a massive avalanche of ice, rock, and mud that swept through mountain districts and river valleys
▪The United Nations Development Programme estimated that the August 26, 2026 disaster created at least 2.2 million tons of debris, including building parts, rocks, and sediment

Death toll statistics

▪The overall death toll from the August 26, 2026 disaster reached at least 1,280 people across both Nepal and China
▪The catastrophic flash floods and landslides following the August 26, 2026 glacier collapse killed at least 1,259 people in Nepal and 21 people in the Tibet region of China

Missing persons search

▪More than 800 foreign nationals from at least 34 countries, including tourists and pilgrims, are among those missing in Nepal and Tibet
▪Families of the missing gathered outside Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, where a wall was covered in photographs of missing relatives and unidentified bodies
▪More than 5,000 people remain missing in Nepal and 541 remain missing in China's Tibet region following the August 26, 2026 flash floods

Hydropower project impacts

▪Nepal Electricity Authority officials stated that 46 workers are believed to be trapped alive in a room-like structure with food and water at the 111-megawatt Rasuwagadhi plant
▪The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority estimated that the disaster caused at least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees ($2.56 billion) in property and infrastructure losses
▪Local authorities estimate that about 900 hydropower workers are missing from 12 projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels
▪At the Trishuli 3A project, at least 557 workers are missing, with approximately 115 believed to be trapped inside the main tunnel

Housing reconstruction efforts

▪The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that 7,500 houses were completely destroyed, either washed away or buried under debris
▪Nepali authorities are seeking safer alternative locations to rebuild settlements and relocate affected residents rather than rebuilding in the same high-risk areas
▪Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority estimated that around 20,000 houses will need to be rebuilt in flood-ravaged districts