Kathmandu, September 4
Rescue teams have rescued two people alive from a tunnel of the Nepal Electricity Authority’s Trishuli 3-A Hydropower Project.
Mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah and supervisor Kabir Maharjan were rescued alive from the tunnel this morning, 10 days after they became trapped.
According to Trishuli 3-A Project Chief Awas Ojha, the two were rescued from a tunnel leading to the powerhouse. “They were found alive and rescued along the route leading to the powerhouse. The rescue team has yet to reach the powerhouse,” he said.
Ojha said it was not possible to determine how far from the powerhouse the two were rescued because the tunnel is dark.
The 60-megawatt project, which was in operation, had been shut down for a complete overhaul. As a result, the tunnel through which water from the river enters the powerhouse had been closed.
The Nepal Electricity Authority estimates that 42 engineers and employees are trapped inside the powerhouse tunnel. Most of them are believed to be inside the powerhouse itself.
Although Sanjay Sah, who was rescued first, said that everyone inside was alive, the exact number of people still inside remains unclear, Project Chief Ojha said.
