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Chinese national rescued from Nepal tunnel 10 days after flash flood

By Thomson Reuters Sep 5, 2026 | 4:07 AM

KATHMANDU, Sept 5 (Reuters) – A Chinese national was pulled alive from a tunnel in Nepal on Saturday, ​authorities said, 10 days after ‌a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through a Himalayan valley, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving over 5,600 ‌missing.

The ​Nepali army said the ⁠person, named only ⁠as Luhaitao, was rescued from inside a 225-metre (246-yard) tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project.

On Friday, rescue workers ​pulled two people from another tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A ⁠Hydropower Station on ⁠the same river.

Rescue workers have ​said they believe the August 26 collapse ​of a glacier on the upper ‌reaches of the river trapped at least 900 people in tunnels related to six hydropower projects.

Footage shared by ⁠the Nepali army showed Luhaitao being given emergency medical attention inside a helicopter, which took ⁠him ‌to an army hospital.

He appeared ⁠exhausted and disoriented, with ​dried ‌mud and dust on his ​skin and ⁠clothing. A uniformed medic with a stethoscope was seen checking his vitals.

(Reporting by Sahana Bajracharya and Navesh Chitrakar; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, William Mallard and ​Sharon Singleton)