KATHMANDU, Sept. 5 — Rescue teams in Nepal pulled a foreign national alive from the tunnel of the Apar Trishuli 1 hydropower project in Rasuwa district on Saturday, ten days after catastrophic flash floods and landslides struck the Himalayan nation. The Nepalese Army released a video on X showing the man being brought out of the tunnel and taken to a helicopter, where medics began measuring his vitals. The rescue came a day after two men were pulled alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project on Friday.
Nepal Police separately reported that a joint team of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force Nepal rescued one woman from Betrawati 10, Vidur, in Nuwakot District.
Identification and Casualties
Citing Shri Ram Neupane, a lawmaker from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, the Kathmandu Post identified the two men rescued Friday as Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor. The floods have claimed at least 1,344 lives across Nepal, according to state and international reports. The Nepalese Army and international teams are conducting massive Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations to reach isolated communities.
In Nuwakot district, military engineering units are constructing a rope bridge over the swollen Tadi River to restore ground connectivity. Approximately 20 helicopters have been deployed for search, rescue, and relief distribution, focusing on the severely impacted Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts, despite adverse weather, mountain terrain, and a scarcity of usable helipads.
India is assisting Nepal in the HADR operations. An Indian tunnel rescue team worked in close coordination with the Nepal Army at Nepal’s Chilime tunnel, draining accumulated water and digging deeper into the shaft. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava highlighted India’s commitment to supporting Nepal through technical expertise and humanitarian aid.
The Nepal Police also shared visuals from a temporary field hospital in Nuwakot operating a Sample Collection Centre for DNA Testing. Officials said the focus now shifts to sustaining relief access as monsoon-battered districts remain cut off.
The region has a history of seasonal flooding, but the scale of this year’s devastation has strained local response capacity, drawing in neighbouring India’s technical teams as recovery efforts continue.
