Nepal floods: Chinese worker rescued alive after 11 days in Trishuli tunnel

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Sep 5, 2026 14:40 IST

A Chinese national was rescued alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal on Saturday, 11 days after devastating floods hit the Upper Trishuli 1 Hydropower Project. The man, identified as Luhaitao, had been trapped inside Audit Tunnel 4 at the project.

The rescue is the latest breakthrough in search operations in the flood-hit region. With this, three workers have been pulled out alive from the Trishuli hydropower projects, after two Nepali workers were rescued from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant on Friday.

In a statement after the operation, the Nepali Army said, "A joint rescue team comprising the Nepali Army and foreign rescuers has rescued a Chinese national, Luhaitao, alive from inside a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project." It added, "Luhaitao was rescued from a point approximately 225 meters inside the tunnel. His health is currently being assessed, while search and rescue operations are continuing."

Luhaitao was rescued at 1.30 pm on Saturday from the site in Nuwakot district. The Nepal Army-led security command has been carrying out the search and rescue operation with specialised equipment.

The two Nepali workers rescued on Friday were identified as Kabir Maharjan, 45, and Sanjay Sah, 30. According to the Public Relations Directorate of the Nepal Army, Maharjan was working as a mechanical supervisor on the project, while Sah was a foreman.

The flash floods were triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26. The disaster devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, killing more than 1,300 people, while around 4,900 remain missing.

The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects. Officials said at least 900 workers are missing from a dozen hydropower projects in Nepal, with about 500 believed to be inside tunnels, as rescue efforts continue.

The rescue of Luhaitao has taken the number of workers pulled out alive from the Trishuli hydropower projects to three, even as the wider search continues after the floods caused large-scale destruction across Nepal.

With PTI Inputs

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