Nepali Hydropower Worker Recounts Harrowing Nine-Day Survival in Darkened Tunnel Following Catastrophic Floods

Surrounded by absolute blackness and the ruined remnants of a shattered mountain tunnel, Sanjay Sah spent nine grueling days wondering whether rescue would ever reach him. The 30-year-old technician had been trapped deep within the subterranean chambers of a Himalayan hydroelectric facility when sudden, violent deluge waters inundated the complex. His survival against immense odds has emerged as a rare beacon of hope amid one of the deadliest climate-related catastrophes to strike Nepal and the surrounding region in recent memory.

Following his rescue by military emergency teams and an extensive period of medical care at an army hospital in Kathmandu, Sah was formally discharged on Friday to begin his long road to recovery. Reunited with his wife, Laxmi Sha, and young daughter, Sundira Sah, the technician spoke from his sister’s rented flat in the capital, bearing visible physical scars from his ordeal, including heavily bandaged hands sustained during his desperate efforts to survive.

The physical conditions inside the underground passageway were defined by total sensory deprivation, damp cold, and pervasive hazards. Sah recounted that navigating the pitch-black space posed constant dangers of severe physical trauma from jagged concrete edges, twisted metal supports, and shifting mud. To shield his eyes from being permanently injured by invisible debris or unexpected falls in the dark, he adopted a protective strategy of keeping his eyelids tightly clamped shut for days at a time.

Sah explained that the total absence of light rendered normal vision completely useless, making the defensive measure of closing his eyes the only practical shield against catastrophic personal injury. However, the prolonged period of sensory darkness exacted a severe physiological toll on his body. By the time emergency crews finally breached the tunnel, the prolonged closure had made it nearly impossible for him to naturally force his eyes open against the returning ambient light.

Before the disaster unfolded, Sah had dedicated more than three years of continuous service to the Upper Trishuli-3A Hydropower Station, where he worked as a mechanical foreman. Operated by the state-run Nepal Electricity Authority, the multi-story run-of-river project represented a vital piece of the nation’s renewable energy infrastructure, situated in the rugged and disaster-prone mountain terrain of the Rasuwa district.

The catastrophic event was triggered in late August when a massive glacier collapsed in the high Himalayas, destabilizing the fragile landscape above. The sudden glacial breakdown unleashed immense volumes of trapped water, mud, and boulders, precipitating destructive flash floods that barreled down the river valleys and struck critical infrastructure along the Bhotekoshi River corridor with overwhelming force.

The resulting torrents of silt and debris tore through mountain settlements and slammed directly into the hydroelectric complex, trapping Sah and a coworker deep below the surface as rushing water and thick mud blocked every accessible exit. For more than a week, the men remained isolated in the subterranean darkness while emergency responders on the surface confronted impassable roads, severed communications, and unstable debris.

The scope of the calamity extended far beyond the power station, leaving widespread destruction across northern Nepal and the bordering areas of China. Entire mountain communities situated along the riverbeds suffered devastating losses as raging torrents pulverized bridges, swept away highways, and buried residential neighborhoods under massive deposits of mud.

Official assessments underscore the staggering human cost of the glacial disaster. Across the affected valleys of Nepal and China's Tibet region, authorities have confirmed at least 1,300 fatalities, while more than 5,300 people remain unaccounted for, leaving search teams to comb through vast stretches of debris in increasingly difficult conditions.

Despite the diminishing likelihood of finding subterranean survivors as the days dragged on, a coordinated search and rescue operation spearheaded by the Nepal Army pressed forward at the Trishuli-3A site. On September 4, search teams successfully penetrated the blocked tunnel structure, locating Sah and another trapped individual alive in what officials characterized as an astonishing breakthrough.

Carried out of the subterranean passage by specialized search teams, the two survivors were immediately evacuated from the disaster zone and airlifted to an army medical facility in Kathmandu. Physicians closely monitored their vital signs, treated localized wounds, and provided specialized care to help Sah’s eyes gradually readjust to normal daylight after hundreds of hours in pitch darkness.

Back in the safety of family surroundings in Kathmandu, Sah’s loved ones celebrated his return with quiet relief. His wife, Laxmi Sha, took photographs with her husband, expressing deep gratitude alongside their daughter after enduring more than a week of terrifying uncertainty regarding whether he had survived the initial deluge.

The ordeal at the Upper Trishuli-3A installation highlights the severe vulnerabilities confronting hydroelectric and civil infrastructure in high-altitude mountain environments. As glacial stability weakens across the Himalayas, engineering projects and downstream communities face mounting risks from sudden floods, massive landslides, and structural inundation.

For Sah, the journey from being entombed beneath the earth to sitting safely with his family in Kathmandu remains overwhelming. While he continues to recuperate from his physical injuries and the profound trauma of his confinement, his resilience during nine days in the dark stands as a remarkable story of endurance amid regional devastation.