Two Rescued Alive as Search Continues After Deadly Floods in Nepal

By Emmanuel Bobby

Rescue teams in Nepal pulled two people alive from separate locations Saturday, offering a rare moment of hope 10 days after devastating floods and landslides swept across parts of the country and left thousands of people dead or missing.

One of the survivors was a Chinese national who had been trapped inside a hydropower tunnel for days. The other was a woman rescued from a damaged home in the flood-hit town of Nuwakot.

The rescues came as authorities and international disaster teams continued searching through collapsed buildings, debris and underground tunnels for people who may still be alive.

Chinese Worker Rescued From Hydropower Tunnel

The Chinese man was rescued from a tunnel at the Trishuli hydropower project, according to Nepal’s prime minister’s office. His rescue brought the number of workers pulled alive from the project to three.

Two Nepalese workers were rescued from the same hydropower project on Friday.

Nepal’s army said a joint team made up of Nepalese military personnel and South Korean disaster experts located and rescued the Chinese worker from a tunnel approximately 225 meters, or about 740 feet, long.

The man was taken from the tunnel and transported by helicopter for medical evaluation. Images released following the rescue showed an army medic checking on him during the helicopter flight as he was evacuated from the remote area.

The survivor was identified as Lu Haitao by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. In audio shared by the broadcaster, Lu described repeatedly trying to attract the attention of rescuers while he was trapped underground.

Lu said he would shout whenever he saw the lights of rescue crews, but they apparently could not hear him at the time.

When rescuers finally reached him and shone their lights toward him, Lu said he initially struggled to believe that help had arrived.

He was later transported to a hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition.

Family Calls Rescue a Stroke of Luck

Lu’s family had been desperately waiting for news about him since the disaster struck.

His sister, Lu Hairong, told Chinese state media that her 49-year-old brother was originally a farmer from Henan province in central China. She said he is married and has a son and had also worked additional jobs, primarily carpentry, to earn money before traveling to Nepal for employment.

Lu had gone to Nepal with a fellow villager in February.

His family reportedly became increasingly worried after the mudslide and flooding disrupted the area and communication. His sister said she was overwhelmed with relief when she saw a photograph of her brother following his rescue.

She described his survival as a stroke of luck amid an otherwise devastating disaster.

The rescue provided a significant boost to teams searching other locations where workers remain trapped or unaccounted for.

Hundreds of Hydropower Workers Still Missing

Rescue operations have increasingly concentrated on hydropower facilities throughout Nepal, where authorities say hundreds of workers remain missing.

Officials said about 900 workers are unaccounted for across 12 hydropower projects, while roughly 500 are believed to be trapped inside various tunnels.

Specialized rescue teams from India, China, South Korea and the United States have joined Nepalese personnel in the search. Crews have been working through damaged infrastructure, piles of debris and underground tunnels in the hope of finding additional survivors.

The difficult conditions have made the search particularly challenging. Floodwaters and mudslides damaged roads and structures, while debris has blocked access to some areas where workers may be trapped.

The discovery of survivors more than a week after the disaster has encouraged rescuers to continue searching areas that might otherwise have been considered unlikely locations for people to survive.

Woman Pulled From Damaged Home

Another dramatic rescue took place Saturday in the flood-hit town of Nuwakot, where a woman was found alive inside a damaged house.

A spokesperson for Nepal’s army said rescuers located the woman and pulled her from the structure. She was reportedly covered in mud when rescuers reached her.

Images released by the army showed members of the rescue team providing her with bottled water before carefully bringing her out of the damaged building. She was then wrapped in a gray blanket and prepared for evacuation.

Officials said she was being airlifted to Kathmandu for medical treatment.

The rescue demonstrated the continuing dangers faced by residents and emergency workers in communities where homes and other structures were heavily damaged by the floods and landslides.

Thousands Still Missing After Catastrophic Flooding

The disaster has left much of Nepal dealing with an enormous humanitarian and recovery effort.

At least 1,300 people were killed in the Aug. 26 floods, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency, while more than 5,000 people remain missing.

Authorities believe the flooding was likely triggered by a glacier collapse, sending enormous amounts of water and debris into affected areas.

The scale of the disaster has overwhelmed many communities and forced authorities to rely on assistance from international rescue organizations and foreign disaster-response teams.

As the search enters its second week, rescuers continue to face a difficult race against time. The survival of people such as Lu and the woman rescued from Nuwakot has provided renewed hope that others could still be found alive.

Search teams are expected to continue examining hydropower tunnels, damaged buildings and areas buried beneath mud and debris as authorities work to account for those still missing and determine the full impact of the disaster.