Darkness. Complete, suffocating darkness. When a glacier-triggered flash flood tore through the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower station in Nepal, it sealed the exits and swallowed everything in thick, heavy mud. Two workers, Kabir Maharjan and Sanjay Sah, found themselves trapped underground with no way out. What followed was a grueling nine-day test of human endurance that stunned rescue workers and families alike.
Most disaster reports focus solely on the initial tragedy, glossing over the psychological toll of prolonged entrapment. But understanding how these men survived requires looking at the terrifying reality of subterranean survival when the water starts rising.
The Morning the Mountain Broke
On August 26, the disaster struck without warning. A glacier collapse high above the Trishuli valley unleashed a massive wall of mud and water. Maharjan was already inside the tunnel network for his shift, while Sah, a mechanical foreman, was working in the control room.
When the evacuation orders finally echoed through the facility, it was nearly too late. Sah rushed through the floors, trying to warn his colleagues before the deluge hit. But the speed of the water cut off standard escape paths.
Instead of running downward toward the raging torrent, Maharjan and Sah made a split-second decision that saved their lives. They headed upward toward an elevated cable-duct tunnel, scrambling away from the surging water pressure. They became separated in the roaring chaos, each left to face the dark alone.
Surviving Inside an Air Pocket
Trapped roughly 160 to 170 meters from the exit, the two men relied on sheer willpower and accidental safety pockets.
Sah stayed put in a designated spot, knowing that wandering around in pitch-black mud could lead to a fatal misstep. To keep panic at bay, he focused entirely on his mind. He recited Hindu prayers and chanted mantras, blocking out the terror of his situation. He had no idea what day it was, later admitting he thought only two or three days had passed when he had actually been underground for over a week.
Maharjan fought to survive in a pool of muddy water, drifting in and out of consciousness. With no food and only the muddy water around him to wet his throat, his body suffered severe injuries. Yet, both men held onto a fragile thread of hope.
The Frantic Rescue Operation
Above ground, families and engineers refused to give up. Veteran tunnel engineer Shri Ram Neupane and rescue teams utilized project maps shared across a 500-member WhatsApp network, combined with heavy machinery, drones, and relentless excavation.
By September 4, the breakthrough came. Workers cleared enough debris near the upper tunnel to hear faint noises. Hours before their rescue, Sah heard the unmistakable sound of excavators and the clanging of ladders outside.
When rescuers finally pulled them out, it felt nothing short of miraculous. Both men were rushed to a military facility for medical treatment, with Maharjan facing severe injuries including limb paralysis, while Sah's condition stabilized.
Survival in extreme conditions rarely comes down to luck alone. It requires quick thinking, mental discipline, and the refusal to surrender when the odds are stacked entirely against you.
Inside Nepal's Death-Defying Tunnel Rescue
This video provides an in-depth look at the massive engineering and rescue efforts that made the miraculous survival of the two workers possible.
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