On 2026-09-04, two workers, Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharajan, were rescued alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal, more than a week after flash floods struck the region. ^[1] Suresh Raut, a senior official of the Nepal Electricity Authority, told the BBC that the authority believes 39 people are in the tunnel, but it cannot confirm how many are alive. ^[2] Home Minister Sudan Gurung confirmed on Friday that two hydropower workers were rescued from a tunnel buried by debris in Nepal following catastrophic flooding. ^[3] Rescue teams heard voices from inside the Nepal tunnel on the morning of 2026-09-04 and called out 'Don't panic, we are here to rescue you,' receiving a faint 'okay' response from within. ^[4] The flash floods in Nepal left more than 5,000 people missing, with hundreds believed to be labourers working in tunnels at hydropower sites along the river. ^[5] Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha confirmed that one person was safely rescued from the Trishuli 3A tunnel, followed shortly by a second. ^[6] The government had initially stated that it believed more than 100 hydropower workers could still be alive inside multiple tunnels. ^[7] The two rescued workers were identified as Sanjay Shah, a 30-year-old mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a 45-year-old mechanical supervisor. ^[8]