Two people rescued from Nepal hydropower tunnel more than a week after flash flood - bbc.com
Two workers were rescued after nine days trapped in the flood‑damaged tunnel of the Koshi‑Rangdi hydropower plant, while 22 others remain missing. The event has intensified calls for upgraded early‑warning systems and better engineering coordination to mitigate Nepal’s increasingly complex Himalayan hazards.
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Two workers were rescued after nine days trapped in the flood‑damaged tunnel of the Koshi‑Rangdi hydropower plant, while 22 others remain missing. The event has intensified calls for upgraded early‑warning systems and better engineering coordination to mitigate Nepal’s increasingly complex Himalayan hazards.
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**Two workers rescued from Nepal’s flood‑hit hydropower tunnel after nine days**
*Kathmandu, 4 September 2026* – After a flash flood swept through the underground shaft of the 250‑MW **Koshi‑Rangdi hydropower plant** in the Sindhupalchok district, two construction workers were finally brought to the surface on Sunday, more than a week after the disaster struck. The flood, triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains that battered the Himalayan foothills on 26 August, sent a torrent of water and debris into the 600‑metre‑long tunnel, trapping a crew of 34 laborers and engineers inside. Rescue teams from the Nepalese Army, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), and private contractors worked around the clock, but progress was hampered by unstable rock, lingering water seepage and the remote, mountainous terrain.
The breakthrough came when a specialized rescue team, guided by senior civil engineers who had been coordinating via a dedicated **WhatsApp group**, located a small air pocket near the tunnel’s western portal. Using a portable breathing apparatus and a compact winch system, the team lifted the two men—both in their early thirties—through a narrow access shaft to safety. Their survival was confirmed by voice‑communication devices that picked up faint calls for help, a detail reported by **CNN** as “more voices heard at the flood‑stricken plant where scores remain trapped.” At the time of the rescue, 22 workers were still missing, and authorities warned that the unstable conditions could delay further extractions for weeks.
The incident underscores a growing consensus among scientists and policymakers that Nepal’s **early‑warning infrastructure is lagging behind the complexity of Himalayan hazards**. A recent analysis in *The Conversation* warned that climate‑induced extreme weather events are outpacing the country’s capacity to predict and respond to flash floods, landslides, and glacial lake outbursts. Families of the missing have gathered along the banks of the Trishuli River to perform **symbolic funerals**, a poignant ritual captured by **NDTV**, reflecting both cultural grief and the urgency of improving safety protocols at large‑scale infrastructure projects. The rescue of the two workers offers a glimmer of hope, but it also highlights the need for stronger engineering safeguards, real‑time communication networks, and robust disaster‑risk planning to protect Nepal’s expanding hydro‑energy sector.
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