KATHMANDU — Rescuers pulled three people alive from a collapsed tunnel in Dhading district Tuesday, a rare glimmer of relief as the death toll from Nepal’s weekend floods and landslides climbed past 200.
The survivors, trapped for nearly 48 hours after a landslide buried a section of the Sunkoshi hydropower project tunnel, were found by specialized teams using heavy equipment and thermal cameras. They were rushed to a nearby hospital in Kathmandu. Doctors say their condition is stable, though they remain under observation for dehydration and trauma.
The rescue marks a rare win in a disaster that has largely turned into a recovery mission. Heavy monsoon rains triggered catastrophic flooding across the Kathmandu Valley, destroying bridges, sweeping away houses, and turning major highways into mud-choked debris fields.
“We were losing hope,” said a local police official overseeing the site. “Finding them alive after two days buried under that much earth is nothing short of a miracle.”
The scale of the devastation is still coming into focus as communication lines are restored. The government has confirmed 209 deaths, with dozens still missing. Thousands of families have been displaced, crowding into temporary shelters with little access to clean water or medicine.
Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has faced mounting criticism over the speed of the state’s response. While he has promised a swift recovery, the reality on the ground remains grim. Across the valley, residents are using shovels and bare hands to clear layers of thick, grey silt from their homes.
The economic impact will likely take months to calculate. The floods have severed key trade routes with India and China, and the destruction of rural infrastructure has cut off entire villages from aid. Power grids remain volatile, and the risk of waterborne diseases in the flooded lowlands is rising by the hour.
For now, the focus shifts back to the search zones. With the rain finally easing, rescue crews are pushing into more remote areas that were inaccessible over the weekend.
“We aren’t stopping,” said the rescue lead. “As long as there is a chance, we keep digging.”
