Hydropower worker rescued after 10 days trapped in flooded Nepal tunnel, urges continued search

A hydropower worker who endured ten days trapped inside a flooded tunnel in Nepal has called for continued rescue operations, warning that more survivors may still be waiting for help after a disaster that has claimed at least 1,429 lives.

Ten Days in Darkness

Sanjay Sah, 30, survived in complete darkness inside the flooded tunnel, drinking muddy water and losing all sense of time while desperately praying for rescue. The hydropower worker from Saptari district had no way to track how long he had been trapped, and the ordeal left him deeply disoriented.

When a disaster response team finally pulled him to safety on September 4, Sah's confusion was immediate. "When I was rescued I first asked, how many days has it been?" Sah said in an interview while on his way back home in Saptari district. "He said that it has been 10 days. I thought it had been just a few days," he recalled.

A Rare Moment of Hope

Sah's extraordinary survival offered a rare ray of hope after a disaster that has left more than 5,640 people missing, the majority in Nepal. His return home was met with celebration as family, friends and neighbours welcomed him with garlands and a cake, while his home was decorated with balloons and colours.

Source: South China Morning Post