Rescuers in Nepal have pulled a Chinese hydropower worker and a 64-year-old Nepali woman alive from flood wreckage, offering renewed hope for people still missing after a glacier collapse unleashed water, rock and ice on August 26.
Lu Haitao was rescued Saturday from 225 metres inside a flooded hydropower tunnel in Rasuwa district, while Chandika Kumari Shrestha was dug from her collapsed home in neighbouring Nuwakot district. Both had been trapped since the disaster.
How the two rescues happened
A joint team of Nepali soldiers and South Korean disaster specialists freed Lu from the tunnel. He appeared stable but mildly hypothermic and was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu.
Shrestha was found covered in mud inside her flooded house. Rescuers gave her water before airlifting her to Kathmandu for treatment, officials said. The two rescues came within hours of each other and were the third and fourth recoveries of survivors in several days. For additional context, see “Rescuers search hydropower tunnels after Nepal floods kill more than 1,270”.
Search teams expand the operation
Rain on Saturday slowed the search in Rasuwa, but rescue teams continued working. Authorities are focusing further searches on the Trishuli 3A tunnel after a worker rescued there this week told officials that others might still be alive farther inside.
Teams from India, China, South Korea and the United States have joined Nepal’s operation. A 15-member Australian drone unit was also sent this week after Nepal requested outside help; the effort had initially relied mainly on Nepali forces. A related part of this story is covered in “Two Nepal hydropower workers pulled alive from flooded tunnel”.
The flooding destroyed roads, homes and schools in river valleys used for hydroelectric power and popular with foreign trekkers and pilgrims. In Tibet, across the border in China, officials have also reported deaths and people missing.
What happens next
Search teams will continue combing the region, with further efforts focused on damaged hydropower tunnels, including the Trishuli 3A site. The development of this issue can be followed in “Nepal flood disaster leaves thousands missing as rescue access remains difficult”.
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