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Rescue teams in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel nine days after catastrophic floods swept through the country, leaving more than 1,000 people dead and thousands more missing.
Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane told The Associated Press that searchers first heard men’s voices in the tunnel on Friday morning. Images distributed by the Nepal Army showed a rescuer carrying one of the workers on his back while soldiers on either side helped.
The breakthrough has raised hopes that the dozens of others believed to be trapped will be rescued. One of the rescued men said more people are alive inside the tunnel, according to Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, who said the search is ongoing.
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“I can’t explain what we are feeling at the moment. We are just grateful to God,” Amir Maharjan, the brother of one of those rescued, told the AP.
Both men were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu, and one of them was in critical condition, the AP reported, citing a statement from the prime minister’s office.
Officials identified them as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor at the Trishuli 3A plant.
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The AP reported that about 115 people are believed to remain trapped in the Trishuli 3A tunnel alone, citing the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.
In total, authorities say there are about 900 workers missing from 12 hydropower plants in Nepal, with about 500 of them believed to be trapped in tunnels.
Nepal’s Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina wrote on his Facebook page that officials “are waiting for the rescue of more and more people.”
“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly day and night to rescue two people alive!” Timilsina added.
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The AP reported that at least 1,287 people have been killed and more than 5,000 remain missing after the Aug. 26 floods, which scientists believe were likely triggered by a glacier collapse.
China said on Wednesday that on the Tibet side of the border, 21 people were killed and 541 are missing.
Nepal’s disaster agency chief told Reuters on Friday that the flooding has likely caused at least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees (about $2.5 billion) in damage to infrastructure and property.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
