Two workers rescued from Nepal tunnel collapse

Inside the Nepal Tunnel Rescue Operation The remote hills of central Nepal became the focus of an international rescue effort last week when two workers were discovered trapped inside a service tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower plant. The men, both Nepalese nationals employed by a local subcontractor, had been missing for nine days after a sudden collapse of rock and debris sealed the narrow passageway. Their plight was first reported to plant management on 18 April, prompting an urgent call for assistance from the Ministry of Energy, the Nepalese Armed Forces and a team of overseas experts, including an Australian civil‑engineer who has been advising on the operation since its inception..

The Australian engineer, Mark Hawthorne, has spent the past two decades working on large‑scale hydro projects across Asia and the Pacific. In a briefing to reporters on 24 April he explained that the tunnel, 2.3 kilometres long and designed to divert water for turbine intake, is a “high‑risk environment” where sudden water pressure changes and geological instability are common. When the collapse occurred, it blocked the main access shaft and rendered conventional rescue equipment unusable, forcing the team to improvise a series of support structures and ventilation systems to reach the trapped workers safely..

Rescue crews from the Nepalese Army’s Engineering Corps arrived on the scene within 12 hours of the incident, bringing with them a suite of specialized equipment including hydraulic cutters, portable gas detectors and a mobile crane capable of lifting 10 tonnes. However, the cramped dimensions of the tunnel – only 1.5 metres high and 1.2 metres wide – meant that many of these tools could not be deployed directly. Hawthorne described the process as “a careful ballet of precision and patience”, noting that each piece of machinery had to be disassembled, lowered piece‑by‑piece, and re‑assembled in situ to avoid further destabilising the already precarious rock face..

The first priority for the rescue team was to establish a reliable air supply. According to the operation’s chief medical officer, Dr Sanjay Khadka, toxic gases such as methane and carbon monoxide can accumulate quickly in confined underground spaces, posing a lethal risk to both victims and rescuers. To counter this, a temporary ventilation shaft was drilled from the surface, and a high‑capacity blower was installed to circulate fresh air through a series of flexible ducts that threaded the length of the tunnel..

Continuous monitoring showed oxygen levels stabilising at 21 percent within 48 hours, allowing medical personnel to begin assessing the condition of the trapped men. Inside the tunnel, the two workers – identified as 34‑year‑old Gopal Rai and 29‑year‑old Bikas Shrestha – had survived by rationing a small emergency food pack and relying on a handheld radio to communicate with the surface. Their radio, a basic VHF unit, had been salvaged from the wreckage and powered by a portable battery pack that lasted longer than expected..

“They kept us updated on their physical state every few hours,” Hawthorne recounted, “which was crucial for planning our extraction timeline and ensuring we didn’t push them beyond their limits.” The extraction plan involved constructing a makeshift stretcher frame from aluminium alloy tubing, reinforced with steel cables to support the weight of the victims and rescuers alike. Over the course of three days, the team painstakingly cleared a 12‑metre corridor leading to the collapsed section, using pneumatic drills to chip away at loose rock while constantly shoring the walls with timber and steel props. The operation was carried out in shifts to minimise fatigue, with each shift lasting no longer than six hours to maintain peak concentration and reduce the likelihood of human error in the hazardous environment..

On 23 April, after a final safety inspection confirmed the structural integrity of the newly reinforced tunnel section, the rescue team initiated the extraction. The stretcher, equipped with a compact oxygen supply and a lightweight harness, was slowly pulled back along the newly cleared passage by a winch system mounted on the surface. Both Gopal and Bikas were found conscious but severely dehydrated, with minor injuries to their hands and forearms from the debris..

Medical staff administered intravenous fluids and antibiotics immediately upon surfacing, while paramedics monitored vital signs en route to the nearest field hospital in Dhading district. The successful rescue has been hailed as a testament to Nepal’s growing capacity for high‑risk technical operations, as well as the value of international cooperation in disaster response. The Ministry of Energy praised the swift coordination between governmental agencies, the private sector and foreign advisors, noting that such collaboration will be essential as the country pushes ahead with its ambitious renewable‑energy agenda, which includes the addition of over 3 gigawatts of hydro capacity by 2030..

Nonetheless, officials caution that the incident underscores lingering safety challenges in Nepal’s burgeoning hydropower sector. A parliamentary inquiry has been launched to investigate whether proper risk assessments were conducted prior to tunnel excavation and whether sufficient emergency protocols were in place. Preliminary findings suggest that the subcontractor responsible for the tunnel’s construction may have overlooked critical geological surveys, a lapse that could have contributed to the sudden rockfall that trapped the workers..

In response, the Nepalese government has announced a series of measures aimed at tightening safety standards across all ongoing and future hydro projects. These include mandatory third‑party safety audits, the establishment of a national underground‑rescue registry, and increased funding for specialized training programmes for engineers and rescue personnel..