The New Indian Express ·
Economy, business and finance
Nepal tunnel worker trapped for 9 days says he kept chanting ‘Hare Krishna’, rescued on Janmashtami
Two workers trapped inside a tunnel of the Trishuli-3A Hydroelectric Project in Rasuwa were rescued on Friday, nine days after a devastating flood tore through the Bhote Koshi river system, raising hopes that others missing inside underground hydropower structures could still be found alive.
The rescued workers were identified as Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan. Sah briefly said he was chanting ‘Hare Krishna mahamanta’ for the past nine days. Both were pulled out from the tunnel by a joint search and rescue team and airlifted to a hospital.
The breakthrough came as rescue teams continued a race against time across several hydropower projects damaged by the August 26 disaster. One body was also recovered during the Trishuli-3A operation, while the search for others trapped inside the tunnel remains underway.
Around 900 workers have been reported missing from hydropower sites. The scale of the underground rescue operation has been immense. Teams have had to clear collapsed sections, remove huge quantities of mud and debris, drain flooded passages and create access routes into tunnels that were cut off by the disaster.
At Trishuli-3A, the rescue operation involved 75 Nepali Army personnel and 18 personnel from the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police, along with technical experts.
Rescue ops progress at other hydro tunnels
The successful rescue of the two workers came after the team entered the tunnel system and worked through difficult conditions. Operations are simultaneously continuing at other projects.
At Trishuli-3B, a joint team of 89 Nepali Army personnel, three civilians and the project’s managing director has identified the project office and residential area. Excavators and Bobcats are clearing debris and creating access.
Rescue teams have advanced 426 metres inside Audit 1, with efforts underway to send an excavator operator through the passage to establish a link with Trishuli-3A, as per the latest update.
At Langtang Hydro, a 25-member army team and two civilians entered the tunnel and recovered two bodies, while searches continue.
At Chilime Hydro, teams, including foreign experts, are clearing slurry using generators and mud pumps. At Upper Trishuli-1’s Haku tunnel, a joint team of 17 Army personnel and project representatives is using rafts and boats while simultaneously pumping water out of the tunnel.
The rescue effort has also drawn technical assistance from neighbouring countries.
A 24-member Indian tunnel rescue team has been deployed in coordination with the Nepal Army, while a nine-member Chinese team has been working at the Upper Trishuli-3A project. The disaster has meanwhile triggered a wider rescue and relief operation across northern Nepal. By 3 pm Friday, 29 people had been rescued from affected areas by seven Nepali Army aircraft and six civilian aircraft.
More than 9,300 Nepali Army personnel are deployed across affected areas stretching from Timure in Rasuwa through Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan and Nawalparasi East. Foot patrols involving medical officers are moving through forests, hills, riverbanks and settlements to search for survivors, retrieve bodies, provide emergency healthcare and assist communities cut off by the disaster.
The Army Engineering Corps is also constructing the base for an Acrow Bridge across the Tadi River at Devighat after existing connections were damaged.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Sah, said that he kept chanting the ‘Hare Krishna’ mantra while waiting to be rescued.
Sah, a a 30-year-old Nepal Electricity Authority employee from Saptari district in Madhesh province, told security personnel that he had been chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra throughout the nine days he remained trapped.
“I was chanting Hare Krishna mahamantra for the past nine days,” he said shortly after being brought to safety.
His rescue coincided with Krishna Janmashtami, the Hindu festival marking the birth of Lord Krishna.
According to security officials, Sah was in stable condition and had no immediate health concerns. He was taken to a local hospital in Trishuli for medical evaluation.
The second worker rescued, 45-year-old Kabir Maharjan, was airlifted to the Nepal Army Hospital in Chhauni, Kathmandu, for further treatment due to health complications.
Sah, a foreman at the project, said he remained behind when others fled following the accident because he felt responsible for ensuring their safety.
“I was working in the control room. My responsibility was to save everyone’s life,” he said.
Sah said he had urged the others to flee after the accident, but by the time they had evacuated, it was too late for him to escape.
Asked about the possibility of other workers still being trapped inside, Sah said he had heard or communicated with three or four people in his vicinity by talking or making noises.
“There were only three or four people with whom we were able to communicate, nearby, by talking or making noises,” he said.
However, Sah said more people could be trapped deeper inside the tunnel, including near the powerhouse.
“Not everyone may have been able to escape. The tunnel is very long,” he said, adding that the force of the floodwater could have swept some workers deeper inside.
1,907: Indians safely crossed into Nepal from China
95 tonnes: Relief material supplied to Nepal on 7 aircraft
54: Personnel sent to support relief and rescue efforts
30: Tunnel rescue experts deployed in Nepal
21 tonnes: Relief material flown to Kathmandu on Thursday
(With inputs from PTI)