2 trapped workers rescued from hydropower tunnel 9 days after Nepal floods
Survivor told rescuers more people were still alive inside tunnel, says Nepal army spokesman
Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel Friday, raising hopes of reaching a dozen others believed to be trapped nine days after catastrophic floods devastated towns and swept away villages.
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floods → trap → villages
The two men were rescued from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A construction site.
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men → rescue → site
The rescued workers were Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor, Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha’s office said in a statement.
When the mountain gave way above the Nepali power plant where Sah worked, he said he chose to stay and help instead of fleeing.
"I was in the control room in the tunnel.
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I → rescue → tunnel
Normally there are four to six people there, but there could have been 40 to 45 people that day," the 30-year-old told army officials from a stretcher, an oxygen mask strapped to his face, in a video shared by the Nepalese authorities.
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old → be → authorities
"My responsibility was to save everyone's lives.
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responsibility → save → lives
When there was such a big accident, it was not right for me to run away."
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me → be → ?
Sah said he had warned the others the moment word came of the disaster upstream, urging them to flee.
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word → say → them
He never made it out himself.
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He → make → it
By the time he turned to run, there was no time left.
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he → turn → time
Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane posted about the second rescue on his Facebook page shortly after army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the first trapped worker's rescue.
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Basnet → post → rescue
Basnet said one of the survivors told rescuers that more people were still alive inside the tunnel.
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people → say → tunnel
Rescuers first heard voices from inside the tunnel Friday morning, confirming that people were alive and allowing them to locate the two men, Neupane said.
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Neupane → hear → men
Local television news channels showed images of the first rescued worker covered in mud and being carried from the site on a rescuer's shoulder.
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channels → show → shoulder
One of the survivors was in a critical condition, according to a statement from the Nepal prime minister's office.
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One → accord → office
Both men were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu.
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men → fly → Kathmandu
"I can't explain what we are feeling at the moment.
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we → explain → moment
We are just grateful to god," Amir Maharjan, brother to one of the rescued workers, told The Associated Press.
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Maharjan → rescue → Press
He said the family was on its way to the hospital to see him.
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family → say → him
Hundreds of other workers still missing
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Hundreds → miss → workers
At least 557 workers are missing from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project along the Trishuli River, with about 115 believed to be trapped in the tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.
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115 → miss → Nepal
Nepal's Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina said officials remain hopeful that more workers will be rescued.
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workers → say → ?
"We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people," Timilsina wrote on his Facebook page.
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Timilsina → wait → page
At least 1,259 people were killed in the Aug. 26 floods, likely caused by a glacier collapse, and more than 5,000 remain missing, according to the country's disaster management agency.
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5,000 → kill → agency
China said Friday 31 people were killed and 531 were missing on the Tibet side of the border, according to Chinese official news agency Xinhua.
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531 → say → Xinhua
About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.
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500 → miss → authorities
The Aporia
