Nine days chanting Krishna’s name, miraculous rescue on Janmashtami: Two men pulled alive from Nepal tunnel

KATHMANDU: Nine days without food or water. Trapped inside a mud-filled tunnel with only a faint supply of air to keep them alive. As death seemed to draw closer, Sanjay Shah (30) and Kabir Maharjan (45), kept chanting “Hare Krishna”. On Janmashtami, both men were finally brought out alive in a dramatic rescue that gave them a second chance at life.

The two men had been trapped inside a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project after devastating floods hit Nepal on August 26. A rescue team led by the police and army reached them after a painstaking operation that lasted several days.

They were trapped about 170 metres inside the 4.5-km-long tunnel, which runs through the mountain. Both are now recovering at the Army Hospital in Kathmandu.

Their rescue has raised hopes that hundreds of other workers believed to be trapped inside tunnels could also be located and brought to safety. Hours after Sanjay and Kabir were rescued, authorities found the body of another worker.

Experts, including Arnold Dix, who was involved in rescue operations during the Uttarakhand disaster, are also advising the authorities on the rescue efforts.

Rescue teams followed a faint voice

1. Using engineering technology, maps, satellite images and videos captured from helicopters, rescuers first located the entrance to the tunnel, which had been buried under mud.

2. Rescue teams removed tonnes of mud and huge boulders, some as large as cars. The rocks were carefully broken using explosives, while water flowing out of the tunnel was pumped away. A narrow passage was then created through the debris, allowing rescuers to crawl inside.

3. On Friday morning, rescuers heard a human voice from inside the tunnel. Soldiers called out to the trapped men, assuring them that they would be rescued. A faint “Okay” came in response.

4. After an intense rescue operation, Sanjay was brought out first, followed by Kabir.

“During the accident, I was in the control room of the tunnel. Instead of trying to escape, I tried to save the others. I crawled through the mud in the extreme cold to find air. I was injured. We did not know who was trapped or where. There were six people around me. When I came out, the first thing I asked was what day it was,” Sanjay Shah said.

Death toll continues to rise (Combined figures from Nepal and Tibet)

Deaths: 1,326
Missing: 5,339
Foreign nationals: 601
Indians: 275
People trapped in hydropower project tunnels: 500