Nepal: Two workers were rescued alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal on Friday, September 4, nine days after devastating flash floods and landslides buried the project and left several people missing.

Mechanical foreman Sanjay Shah, 30, and mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan, 45, were pulled from the Trishuli-3A hydropower tunnel, reportedly from a depth of about 170 metres. Officials said the two survivors were being given oxygen after their dramatic rescue. Medical teams were treating them after extraction. Relatives awaited updates.

The breakthrough raised hopes that more workers could still be found alive at the site, where rescue teams have been battling mud, debris and difficult conditions following the disaster.

Nepal Home Minister Sudan Gurung confirmed the rescue, while a senior Nepal Electricity Authority official told the BBC that the men had survived inside the tunnel for nine days. Their condition was being monitored as rescue personnel continued efforts to reach other missing workers.

The floods and landslides have caused widespread destruction, killing more than 1,200 people and burying parts of the hydropower project under mud, according to reports. Forty-two people were reported missing at the site, prompting an extensive search operation.

Rescue teams have been working in hazardous, waterlogged conditions while trying to recover bodies and locate survivors. The discovery of Shah and Maharjan alive has given fresh momentum to the operation and renewed hopes for families.

Authorities said rescue efforts would continue despite the terrain and unstable conditions around the tunnel.