A Chinese worker was pulled out alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project in Nepal on September 5, according to the Nepali Army. He had remained trapped underground following the massive natural disaster that hit the region on August 26. The rescue came a day after two Nepali workers, Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were brought out alive from the same hydropower project. Their survival after spending days inside the damaged tunnel had already given rescue teams renewed hope. The Chinese national was found inside a tunnel measuring around 225 metres, where rescue workers had been dealing with mud, water and heavy debris. Nepalese military personnel, along with international disaster response teams, have been involved in the difficult operation.

The disaster was triggered on August 26 when a huge surge of ice, rocks and mud swept through parts of the Himalayan region. The flooding caused widespread destruction, damaged hydropower infrastructure and left thousands of people missing. Hydropower projects along the Trishuli River have become a major focus of the search operation because workers were believed to have been inside underground facilities when the disaster struck. Rescue teams have been using heavy machinery, specialised equipment and information from technical experts to locate possible survivors.

Teams from India, China and South Korea have also been assisting Nepal with the tunnel rescue operations. Their support includes technical expertise and specialised equipment being used alongside efforts led by the Nepali Army and other security agencies. The successful rescues have provided a rare moment of hope amid the devastation. Authorities are continuing searches around several damaged hydropower sites, as families wait for information about people who remain unaccounted for. The latest rescue also demonstrates the challenges involved in reaching people trapped deep underground after a major natural disaster. With unstable terrain and damaged tunnels making the operations dangerous, rescuers continue to work cautiously while searching for additional survivors.