Rescue from the Upper Trishuli-1 Tunnel

Rescuers in Nepal pulled a Chinese national alive on Saturday from a tunnel buried by debris, as emergency response teams continued searching for missing people 10 days after catastrophic flooding. The man, identified only as Luhaitao, was rescued from 225 metres inside the tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district, according to a military statement. A joint rescue team comprising personnel from the Nepal Army and foreign experts carried out the operation.

The army's Facebook page showed a picture of the rescue, with the man's arms around the shoulders of two camouflage-clad rescuers. He appeared exhausted and disoriented, with dried mud and dust on his skin and clothing, as reported by multiple outlets. Footage shared by the Nepali army showed him receiving emergency medical attention inside a helicopter, which took him to an army hospital. The army said his health is currently being assessed and further search and rescue operations are continuing.

Other Survivors Found

The rescue of Luhaitao came a day after two Nepali hydropower workers were pulled alive from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station on the same river. Those workers, identified in some reports as Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan, had been trapped for about nine days. Rescuers called their survival a "miracle," and they were taken to hospital, where they are said to be in a stable condition.

On Saturday, rescuers also pulled a 64-year-old Nepali woman, Chandika Shrestha, alive from her home in Nuwakot district, which had been buried under thick mud and debris. Members of Nepal's Armed Police Force found her, and she was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment. Police deputy superintendent Iqbal Hawari said a police team found her as they were clearing the area. Video released by the Armed Police Force showed only part of her house visible, with the lower floors completely submerged by thick sludge.

The Disaster and Its Toll

The floods struck on August 26 after a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border unleashed a wall of ice, rock and mud through Himalayan valleys. The Bhotekoshi River, flowing south from the border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges across several districts. At least 12 hydropower projects were destroyed by the floods.

According to Nepal's national disaster agency, 1,344 bodies have been recovered in Nepal, with around 5,000 people missing. In China, state media reported 31 people killed and 531 missing, bringing the overall death toll to 1,375 and more than 5,500 missing. Some 1,030 bodies have been buried in mass graves after taking DNA samples, Nepal Police said on Saturday.

Rescue workers have said they believe the collapse of a glacier on the upper reaches of the Trishuli River trapped at least 900 people in tunnels related to six hydropower projects. Authorities said nearly 900 workers remain missing across 12 hydropower projects, with around 500 believed to be trapped inside different tunnels. Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet told AFP that "work is underway at the tunnels" to locate any survivors. The government initially said it believed more than 100 workers could be alive inside multiple tunnels.

Experts from India, China, Australia and South Korea have been aiding Nepali rescuers in their search for survivors inside the tunnels. The energy ministry said rescuers were planning to use customised drones provided by Switzerland to assist in tunnel search operations.

Displacement and Response

Thousands of people displaced by the disaster are living in temporary relief camps. Prime Minister Balendra Shah promised to provide "safe and comfortable accommodation" for those affected. The United Nations launched a $50-million appeal to help more than 84,000 people affected by the disaster. A team reached the remote Nepal-China international border crossing at Timure in Rasuwa district on Saturday and placed Nepal's flag there.

More than 13,000 people have been rescued so far, according to officials. The floods have caused widespread destruction in northern and central Nepal, leaving communities cut off and thousands in need of assistance.