Kathmandu, September 4
Thirty-year-old Sanjay Sah, who had been trapped inside a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3-A Hydropower Project following the Bhotekoshi flood in Rasuwa, was rescued alive after 10 days.
A joint team of the Nepal Army and Armed Police Force rescued him safely on Friday morning, turning 10 days of anguish for his family in Saptari into tears of joy.
Sanjay, from Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality-4 in Saptari, worked in the project’s control room. His brother Sanjeev said their father, who had been in a state of near-unconsciousness, shed tears of joy as soon as he heard that his son had been rescued safely. “Father was almost unconscious. None of us in the family had slept last night,” Sanjeev said. “He is extremely happy now. He is heading to the airport in tears of joy.”
Sanjay’s uncle and aunt are also travelling to Kathmandu with his father to meet him.
Trapped while trying to rescue others
On the day of the flood, Sanjay became trapped inside the tunnel while trying to save the lives of others. He continued his efforts and managed to help several people get out of the tunnel. However, after night fell, he was unable to escape himself. Speaking to the Nepal Army after his rescue, Sanjay said, “I worked in the control room. Since I was there, it was my duty to save everyone’s life. Once the accident happened, I could not simply run away on my own; I had to save everyone.” He added, “I was helping everyone get out. In doing so, I ran out of time. I could not get out at night.”
Sanjay said that after becoming trapped inside the tunnel, he kept chanting a sacred Hindu mantra and believes that this helped save his life.
Happiness we never expected
Unable to bear the pain of her husband’s disappearance, Sanjay’s wife had gone to her parental home. The couple have a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. On Friday morning, Sanjeev called his sister-in-law himself to deliver the unexpected news that Sanjay had been rescued. “She is extremely happy now too,” Sanjeev said. “This is happiness we never expected.”
On the morning of the flood, August 26, Sanjay’s family spoke to him for only about five seconds at around 7:45 am. When they learned about the incident through social media and news reports at around 1 pm and tried to call him, they could no longer reach him.
After 10 long days of anguish and uncertainty, the dark ordeal has finally given way to relief with Sanjay’s safe return.
Here is an excerpt from his brief conversation with Nepal Army officials:
How many people do you think are still inside?
I worked as an operator in the control room. Normally, there would be only four, five or six people at a time. But there were around 40 to 45 people there at the time. Since I was in the control room, it was my responsibility to save everyone’s life. When the accident happened, I could not just run away on my own. I had to save everyone. So, while trying to rescue everyone, I told them that there had been an accident in the Thamya area. I told everyone to get out. In the process, I ran out of time. In the end, I could not get out and became trapped myself.
How many people do you think are still trapped inside?
We were in contact with only three or four of our colleagues who were nearby.
There was a powerhouse inside. Could there be people inside the powerhouse as well?
There could be. Some people may not have been able to escape. The tunnel is long, and water may have entered it as well.
You have come out today after so many days. This is like a second life. Congratulations!
What date is it today?
Today is the 19th Bhadra.
So, it really is a second life. Many congratulations! I had been sitting inside chanting the Mahamantra.
