Kathmandu: Rescue teams in Nepal pulled two more people alive from flood-hit areas on Saturday, 10 days after devastating flash floods along the border with China killed at least 1,300 people and left more than 5,000 missing.
A Chinese national, identified as Luhaitao, was rescued from a 225-metre tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project. The Nepal Army said military personnel and South Korean disaster-response specialists carried out the operation. Luhaitao was airlifted to an army hospital for medical treatment and appeared exhausted and disoriented after being trapped underground.
#अपरत्रिशुली१ सुरङबाट विदेशी नागरिकको जीवितै उद्धार#NepaliArmy#BhotekoshiFlood pic.twitter.com/An7wxJJEOh
— Nepali Army (@NepaliArmyHQ) September 5, 2026
Separately, rescuers found 64-year-old Chandika Shrestha alive inside a damaged four-storey building in Nuwakot. She was carried out wrapped in a blanket and was being airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.
The latest rescues follow Friday’s recovery of two Nepali workers alive from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station. Three people have now been rescued from hydropower tunnels in the past 48 hours.
Authorities estimate nearly 900 workers remain missing across 12 hydropower projects, with around 500 believed trapped inside tunnels. Rescue operations involving Nepalese security forces and experts from India, China, Australia and South Korea will continue for several more days.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah has pledged safe accommodation and support for displaced families living in relief camps.
