By Abdullahi Lukman
Rescuers have saved a Chinese man and a 64-year-old Nepali woman in separate operations as emergency teams continue searching for more than 5,000 people still missing after devastating floods struck Nepal.
Nepal’s disaster management agency said at least 1,375 people have died since the floods were triggered by a glacial and rock collapse on August 26.
The Chinese man was rescued from a 225-metre tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project by a joint team of Nepali soldiers and South Korean disaster specialists. He was taken by helicopter for medical evaluation after being brought out of the damaged tunnel.
Rescue teams have concentrated heavily on hydropower facilities across the country, where about 900 workers are reported missing. Around 500 are believed to be trapped inside large tunnels.
Teams from India, China, South Korea and the United States are assisting Nepali authorities in searching damaged facilities and clearing debris.
Two Nepali workers were also rescued from a tunnel at another hydropower station along the Trishuli River on Friday.
The 64-year-old Nepali woman was pulled from a mud-filled house in Nuwakot, one of the areas severely affected by the disaster. Soldiers found her partially submerged in thick mud before rescuing her and transporting her by air to Kathmandu for medical treatment.
The latest rescues have provided a measure of hope, although specialists warn that the chances of finding people alive inside the tunnels are declining as the
disaster enters its second week.
Rescue operations remain difficult because the floods destroyed or damaged critical infrastructure.
More than 40 bridges have collapsed, while swollen and unpredictable rivers continue to create dangerous conditions for emergency crews.
The disaster has left large areas of Nepal facing severe disruption, with thousands of families affected and infrastructure, homes and livelihoods destroyed.
International and national rescue teams are continuing operations in the hardest-hit areas as authorities work to locate missing people and provide assistance to survivors.
