In this photo provided by the Nepal Army, soldiers rescue a worker alive from a tunnel during an ongoing operation at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project in Nepal's Rasuwa district, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. Nepal Army/via AP hide caption

Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel Friday as emergency teams continued an operation to reach others believed to be trapped inside, officials stated.

The two men were rescued from the Trishuli 3A tunnel nine days after floods, likely caused by a glacier collapse, devastated towns and swept away villages in Nepal on Aug. 26.

In a related development, nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane posted about the second rescue on his Facebook page shortly after army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the first trapped worker's rescue. Officials identified the two men as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor.

Local television news channels showed images of the first rescued worker covered in mud and being carried from the site on a rescuer's shoulder. Officials expressed both men were in stable condition and were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu.

At least 557 workers are missing from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project along the Trishuli River, with about 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel, in line with to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.

Furthermore, officials present at the rescue site remarked rescuers believe some people may still be alive inside the tunnel.

Nepal's Communication Minister Bikram Timilsina remarked officials remain hopeful that more workers will be rescued.

"We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people," Timilsina wrote on his Facebook page.

Additionally, at least 1,259 people were killed in the floods and more than 5,000 remain missing, as per to the nation's disaster management agency. China, as of late Wednesday, stated 21 people were killed and 541 were missing on the Tibet side of the border.

About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, as per to local authorities.

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