Rescue teams in Nepal pulled a Chinese man and a Nepali woman from separate locations on Saturday, raising hopes amid a disaster that has left at least 1,375 people dead and more than 5,000 missing, according to the country's disaster management agency.
The Nepali military reported that a joint team of its army personnel and South Korean disaster experts rescued the man from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project. He was undergoing a health assessment after being evacuated by helicopter, as shown in photographs released by the army.
Hydropower tunnels become focus of search
Rescue operations have concentrated on a dozen hydropower projects across Nepal, where about 900 workers are missing, with an estimated 500 believed to be trapped in large tunnels. International teams from India, China, South Korea and the US have been combing through debris and damaged structures to locate survivors.
On Friday, two Nepali workers were rescued from another tunnel at a hydro-station on the Trishuli River. Experts caution that the likelihood of finding more people alive in the tunnels is diminishing as time passes.
Woman saved from mud-buried home in Nuwakot
In the devastated town of Nuwakot, a 64-year-old Nepali woman was rescued from a damaged house. Photos published by the Nepali army showed rescuers discovering her submerged in mud before pulling her to safety and airlifting her to Kathmandu for treatment. Police members cheered as she was extracted from the home, the lower half of which was buried in thick sludge.
Flood aftermath and ongoing challenges
The floods were triggered by a glacial and rock collapse on 26 August, causing massive infrastructural damage. More than 40 bridges have collapsed, and rivers have swelled unpredictably, complicating rescue efforts. Emergency responders continue to search for survivors across the affected regions.
