Ten days in absolute darkness is a span most minds cannot process. For Kabir Maharjan, a 45-year-old mechanical supervisor at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project, those ten days became an agonizing test of endurance. When catastrophic flash floods triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border slammed into the region on August 26, tons of mud, slush, and debris sealed the tunnels shut.
Most people assumed the worst. With death tolls mounting past 1,250 and hundreds missing across various infrastructure projects, hope was fading fast. Then came the breakthrough. On Friday, rescue teams working with specialized equipment heard faint voices echoing from deep inside the blocked passageways. Maharjan and a fellow worker, 30-year-old foreman Sanjay Sah, were pulled out alive from a depth of roughly 170 metres.
His family called it an absolute miracle. But behind that single word lies a grueling narrative of survival, frantic rescue coordination, and the raw human will to stay alive against impossible odds.
Inside the Trishuli 3A Rescue Operation
The rescue effort was anything but simple. Massive boulders and thick, compacted mud choked the entry points of the Trishuli 3A facility. It took teams nearly six days just to locate and clear paths to the tunnels. Personnel from the Nepali Army and the Armed Police Force refused to quit, crawling through tight, debris-filled spaces until they caught faint sounds from within.
When responders finally established verbal contact, shouting encouragement into the dark ("Don't panic, we are rescuing you"), a response came back. That moment shifted the entire operation from a recovery mission back into a live rescue.
Sanjay Sah, who was stationed in the control room when the disaster struck, recounted that his initial instinct was to get everyone else out safely. By the time he tried to escape, the path was blocked by rushing water and debris. Trapped in the dark, Sah spent his time reciting mantras and communicating with a few coworkers trapped nearby.
When Maharjan and Sah finally emerged, covered in mud and gasping for fresh air, they were immediately airlifted to Kathmandu for urgent medical care.
The Toll on Families Left Waiting
For the relatives standing outside the disaster zone and hospitals, those ten days felt like an eternity. Hira Shobha, Maharjan's wife, lived in a state of suspended animation. She couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and watched the calendar tick forward while clinging to a stubborn belief that her husband was still breathing underground.
When the news finally broke, the emotional dam broke with it. Relatives rushed to military hospitals in Kathmandu, alternating between tears of relief and the heavy shock of reality. Medical teams noted that while Sah was stable, Maharjan required intensive care due to severe exhaustion, injuries, and the sheer physical toll of ten days without proper sustenance in a sealed environment.
This survival story highlights the extraordinary resilience of workers caught in climate-driven disasters, while also underscoring the severe vulnerabilities facing infrastructure projects across the Himalayan corridor. As search operations wind down, the safe return of Maharjan and Sah stands as a rare and profound victory against a backdrop of immense regional tragedy.
