Two workers rescued alive from depths of Nepal hydropower plant after more than a week

Two workers have been rescued alive from deep inside the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant in Nepal, bringing renewed hope to an operation that has been underway for days to locate 42 missing workers following the disaster that struck the area more than a week ago.

Rescue teams spent several days digging around the hydropower facility, using satellite data to narrow down possible locations of tunnels where workers could have remained trapped, according to geologist Arnold Dix, who is advising Nepalese rescuers on the ground.

Heavy machinery was then brought in to remove mud and debris. Excavators, compressors and hydraulic hammers were used to help rescuers reach potential survivor areas, according to Nepalese forces Lieutenant Colonel Ganga Baral.

Explosives were carefully used to clear a path before military rescuers continued digging by hand to reach areas where survivors might have been trapped.

On Friday, video showed the rescue of the first worker, 30-year-old Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, from inside the tunnel. His emergence was met with loud cheers from the rescuers and people gathered at the site.

Amid the celebration, local officials told CNN that additional voices had been heard inside the tunnel.

Shortly afterward, 45-year-old Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor, was also rescued.

Both men were transported by helicopter for emergency medical treatment and, according to Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Office, were taken to a military hospital in Kathmandu.

Sah is in stable condition, while Maharjan remains in critical condition and is receiving intensive care.