Listening Devices, Drilling, And A 'Faint Voice': How 2 Men Were Rescued From Inside Nepal Tunnel

Nine days after catastrophic floods in Nepal, at least two people were rescued alive from the Trishuli 3A tunnel, a hydropower project in one of the regions worst affected by the disaster.

At the 60-megawatt hydropower project that was severely damaged by the devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River, at least 42 people, mostly project workers, were trapped.

Sanjay Sah, a Mechanical Foreman at Trishuli 3A, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical superviser, were rescued by the teams from a depth of 170 metres inside the tunnel, according to Nepal Army spokesperson Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet.

News18 Also Covered: 2 People Rescued From Trishuli Tunnel A Week After Nepal Floods, More Voices Heard From Inside

Then Came A Rescue No Less Than A Miracle

As soon as the two men were pulled out of

the Trishuli 3A tunnel, rescuers described the rescue as a “miracle”.

The August 26 flooding was caused by a glacial collapse in the Himalayas that triggered the formation of lakes, before the floodwaters –– carrying large chunks of rocks and mud –– descended the valley and tore through several villages along the Tibetan border.

According to official data, 1,259 people have been killed so far in the floods, while 5,083 people remained missing. As rescue operations continued for a ninth day on Thursday, September 3, families across the flood-affected regions held symbolic funerals for their loved ones.

How The Rescue Operation Unfolded 

According to experts and those keeping a close eye on the rescue mission, the underground sections of the tunnel contained a stable air pocket with breathable oxygen and trapped water.

Australian rescue expert Arnold Dix, who has been supporting the operation remotely, explained that as floodwaters surged, workers likely ran upward in a bid to save themselves. However, they might have been chased down by the immense force of the water, boulders, and mud.

Dix told AFP that the rescue teams had heard a faint cry from inside the tunnel, giving them hope that the survivors were alive and waiting to be rescued.

“They believe they received a faint response from inside saying, ‘hunchha’, yes or OK,” Dix, president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, said.

According to experts, the two men survived on whatever water and food supplies they could find inside the tunnel before rescuers detected their voices using listening devices and drilled into the blockage.

A video shared by the Nepalese Army on X captured the dramatic rescue, showing rescuers making their way through the tunnel before finally reaching a trapped worker, who was seen sipping water as help arrived.

१० दिनको कठिन संघर्षपछि—दुई जीवनको पुनर्जन्म, आशाको अद्भुत विजय#Trishuli3A सुरुङबाट दुई जनाको जिवितै उद्धार#NepaliArmy#नेपालीसेना#BhotekoshiFlood pic.twitter.com/MTnY9UlOG5

— Nepali Army (@NepaliArmyHQ) September 4, 2026

“After 10 Days of Intense Struggle—Rebirth of Two Lives, a Miraculous Victory of Hope”, the clip was captioned.