'A rare moment of joy': Nepal tunnel rescues bring hope for more flood survivors - BBC
A civil engineer survived nine days trapped in a flood‑damaged tunnel in Nepal, rescued through a joint effort by national forces and international experts. The dramatic operation, highlighted by the survivor’s “Hare Krishna” chants, has sparked renewed optimism for locating other victims still buried underground.
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A civil engineer survived nine days trapped in a flood‑damaged tunnel in Nepal, rescued through a joint effort by national forces and international experts. The dramatic operation, highlighted by the survivor’s “Hare Krishna” chants, has sparked renewed optimism for locating other victims still buried underground.
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**A rare moment of joy:** Nepal tunnel rescues bring hope for more flood survivors --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The monsoon floods that pounded Nepal’s hilly regions in early June left a network of landslides and collapsed tunnels in their wake, trapping dozens of workers inside a water‑filled passage on the country’s vital east‑west highway. After nine harrowing days beneath the debris, a 35‑year‑old civil‑engineer, who asked to remain anonymous, emerged alive, his rescue hailed by officials as “a rare moment of joy” amid a grim humanitarian crisis. The operation, coordinated by Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Management Authority (NDRMA) alongside the Armed Police Force, the Nepalese Army’s engineering corps, and several international NGOs, marked the first time such a prolonged underground extraction had been attempted in the nation’s recent history.
Rescuers faced a maze of unstable rock, rising water levels, and limited ventilation as they tunneled inch‑by‑inch toward the trapped worker. According to NDRMA spokesperson **Ramesh Karki**, specialist teams from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi were consulted for their expertise in confined‑space rescue, while local volunteers supplied essential supplies. The survivor recounted surviving on a meager diet of biscuits and water while chanting “Hare Krishna” for nine consecutive days, a practice he said kept his morale intact. His eventual extraction, achieved on Janmashtami—the Hindu festival celebrating the deity’s birth—added a symbolic layer of relief for the community, which gathered to welcome him back with traditional songs and prayers.
The successful rescue has galvanized a renewed push to locate other victims still believed to be trapped in similar tunnels across the flood‑hit districts of Sindhupalchok and Dolakha. Disaster management experts, including **Dr. Suresh Patel** of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, warned that the region’s fragile geology makes further rescues perilous, but emphasized that the collaborative model demonstrated here could be replicated. The operation underscores the importance of cross‑border technical cooperation and community resilience in Nepal’s ongoing battle against climate‑driven disasters, offering a glimmer of hope for families still awaiting news of their loved ones.
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