Two workers were rescued on Friday, Sept. 4, after being trapped in a tunnel for nine days following the flash floods in Nepal
The survivors, Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan, employees of the Nepal Electricity Authority, were airlifted to a hospital and are in "normal" condition
The latest figures show that 1,287 bodies have been recovered, and 5,083 people are missing after the flash floods
Two workers have been rescued and airlifted to the hospital after being trapped inside a tunnel for nine days following the flash floods in Nepal.
The Nepali Army confirmed that two men were pulled alive from the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station on the Trishuli River on Friday, Sept. 4, in a Facebook video.
The survivors were identified as Sanjay Shah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor, by Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) on X.
Both men work for the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), which told U.K. newspaper The Times that they had been flown to hospital in Kathmandu and were found to have sustained injuries to their hands and legs, and symptoms of a prolonged lack of oxygen.
In an update, the NEA said Shah and Maharjan's health conditions were "normal" after its executive director and deputy executive director visited the hospital and spoke with doctors, according to a Facebook statement.
"The Authority is making all arrangements for their treatment and expresses its commitment to continue it," it added.
Pictures show Shah and Maharjan being rescued from the tunnel and seeing light again after spending nine days in darkness. Members of the army were pictured securing them to beds and giving them medical treatment.
Army officials told The Guardian that Shah's first question was, "What day is it?"
Officials said they expect at least 42 people to be rescued from the tunnel, according to the BBC.
"I am so, so happy, I have been waiting for the news," Shah's colleague, Suresh Chaudhari, told the BBC. "This has given hope that others will also be rescued alive."
As of Sept. 4, the NDRRMA said 1,287 bodies have been recovered, 5,083 people are missing, and 5,397 people were receiving treatment since the flash floods hit Nepal on Aug. 26.
Pemba Dundu Tamang, a Nepali hydropower worker who managed to escape the tunnel, told the BBC that he ran towards the entrance.
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"The water was chasing behind me and I was running ahead of it," he said.
Tamang's six relatives have died in the floods, including his older brother, sister-in-law, their three children and his mother.
"After I came out, I could see where my house should have been. There was nothing left. That was when I realized everything was gone," he told the BBC.
The flooding has destroyed over 7,500 houses, 48 government buildings, 18 schools, seven health facilities, and 68 suspension bridges, according to the NDRRMA.
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