Kathmandu, September 4
Ten days after the Bhotekoshi flood blocked the entrance to a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project, two people trapped inside were rescued alive on Friday.
The successful rescue has renewed hopes that others reported missing from the project may also be found.
A rescue team led by the Nepali Army, with personnel from the Armed Police Force, Nepal Police and technical staff from the Nepal Electricity Authority, had been working inside the tunnel for a week before locating and rescuing the two men.
For Lt Col Ganga Baral of the Nepali Army, who is commanding the rescue operation at Trishuli 3A, the successful rescue was the result of round-the-clock efforts by a team working against difficult conditions.
“We worked day and night. We kept at it. We have achieved an almost unbelievable success,” Baral said. “We have proved that Nepalis can do it too.”
He said the operation had provided a major learning experience in disaster management and that rescue teams were continuing their search because others could still be trapped inside the tunnel.
“We worked day and night and kept going. The Army, Armed Police, Nepal Police and employees of the Nepal Electricity Authority are working in coordination,” he said.
Two workers found alive
Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan were rescued on Friday morning.
Sah worked in the project’s control room, while Maharjan was a supervisor at the project.
Maharjan was taken to the Military Hospital in Chhauni immediately after his rescue and is receiving treatment. Sah has also been kept under close medical observation.
After his rescue, Sah described how he became trapped inside the tunnel. He said that when floodwater entered the tunnel, he told others to escape. He was delayed in getting out and became trapped inside.
The rescue team has not stopped searching.
According to Baral, rescue personnel remain inside the tunnel and are continuing search and rescue operations.
‘We took time, but eventually succeeded’
Baral said specialised teams from the Nepali Army were deployed immediately after the flood.
“Soon after the flood, the Nepali Army’s Special Forces, Combat Engineers and Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue teams were deployed here,” he said. “Although it took some time to get the result, we eventually succeeded in rescuing two people alive.”
The rescue operation has involved a large number of personnel from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force.
Baral said coordination among the security agencies, together with technical guidance from engineers including Uday Neupane, who arrived from Kathmandu, had been crucial to the rescue.
“All the security agencies are working with excellent coordination in their respective areas. The guidance of the technical team, including engineer Uday Neupane, who came from Kathmandu, and effective coordination with other security agencies made this success possible,” he said.
Search continues inside the tunnel
As rescue teams continue searching for others who may be trapped, Baral said it was too early to provide detailed information about conditions inside the tunnel.
The teams are still assessing and working through the area, including the challenges posed by the conditions inside.
“The search and rescue operation is still underway inside, so it is not yet possible to provide detailed information,” Baral said. “The teams are deployed and the rescue operation is continuing.”
