Chinese Worker Rescued From Nepal Tunnel After 10 Days

By Aurax Radio | September 5, 2026 | 2 min read

A Chinese worker was rescued alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal 10 days after devastating floods struck the region. The rescue offers renewed hope for hundreds of people still missing.

Rescue workers clearing debris during a search for survivors at a hydropower project in Nepal.

Rescue teams continue searching damaged hydropower facilities after catastrophic flooding in Nepal.

A Chinese national was pulled alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal on Saturday, 10 days after devastating floods and landslides swept through communities near the Nepal-China border. The worker, identified as Lu Haitao, was found inside a 225-meter tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project and was taken by helicopter to an army hospital in stable condition. He was reported to have mild hypothermia after spending more than a week underground.

The rescue came a day after two Nepali hydropower workers, Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were pulled alive from a separate tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project. Their rescue followed a difficult operation in which teams used heavy machinery, engineering plans, satellite imagery and controlled explosions to clear massive amounts of mud and debris blocking access to the underground facility. International specialists from India, China and South Korea have been assisting Nepali authorities as teams continue searching other damaged hydropower sites.

The latest rescues have provided a significant boost to families still waiting for news of missing relatives. Nepalese authorities say about 900 hydropower workers remain unaccounted for across 12 projects, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels. The wider disaster has killed more than 1,300 people in Nepal and China and left thousands missing, after a massive ice and rock collapse triggered devastating flash floods on Aug. 26.

Rescue teams are continuing to search underground facilities and other areas buried by mud and debris, despite difficult conditions and the risk of further flooding. The discovery of survivors after nine and 10 days has encouraged authorities to maintain the search, while specialists examine maps and infrastructure plans to identify areas where people could have survived.

The disaster has also caused extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure, leaving some communities isolated and complicating the delivery of emergency assistance. Nepal is receiving international support as rescue crews, medical teams and disaster specialists work alongside local authorities in one of the country’s largest recent search-and-rescue operations.

Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, BBC, CNN, The New York Times and The Nation Thailand.

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