Nepal Floods: Miracle Rescue As Two Survivors Pulled Alive After A Week Under Rubble

Last Updated:September 05, 2026, 3:34 PM IST

Two survivors, including Chinese worker Luhaitao and 64-year-old Chandika Shrestha, were rescued in Nepal after floods. Over 5,000 remain missing.

The Chinese national saved after Nepal Flash Flood

For days, rescuers had little to work with but mud, broken concrete and silence. On Saturday, two people gave them a reason to keep searching. A Chinese worker trapped inside a hydropower tunnel and a 64-year-old woman buried in her damaged home were found alive, bringing the number of survivors rescued in recent days to four.

The Chinese national, identified as Luhaitao, was pulled out of a 225-metre-long tunnel linked to a hydropower project. He was taken by helicopter for a medical check-up after being brought to the surface.

The Nepal Army said its personnel carried out the operation with South Korean disaster response specialists. Images released by the army showed Luhaitao being helped by two rescuers. His hands were still covered in thick mud, but he appeared conscious and alert.

His rescue was the third successful operation at the Trishuli hydropower site. Two Nepali workers were rescued from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant on Friday.

In Nuwakot town, another team found 64-year-old Chandika Shrestha alive inside a damaged house. Rescuers carried her out wrapped in a grey blanket before she was airlifted to Kathmandu for medical treatment.

The two rescues came as the search continued across Nepal’s worst-hit areas. Officials said nearly 900 workers remain missing from 12 hydropower projects, with around 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels.

The floods hit the country on August 26 and are believed to have been triggered by a glacier collapse. At least 1,300 people have died and more than 5,000 remain missing, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency.

Rescue teams from India, China, Australia and South Korea are assisting Nepali authorities in searching blocked tunnels and other areas where survivors could still be trapped.

Nepal Police said 1,030 bodies have been buried in mass graves after DNA samples were collected. The samples will be used to help identify the victims later.

With thousands of people displaced, Prime Minister Balendra Shah has promised to provide them with “safe and comfortable accommodation” in relief camps.

“We know that staying there is not easy for you,” Shah said in a social media post on Friday. He also assured survivors that the government would support them in rebuilding their lives and creating a future after the disaster.

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Who were the two survivors rescued a week after the Nepal floods on September 5, 2026?

On September 5, 2026, a Chinese worker named Luhaitao was rescued from a hydropower tunnel, and 64-year-old Chandika Shrestha was found alive in her damaged home in Nuwakot town, a week after the Nepal floods began on August 26.

What caused the Nepal floods that began on August 26, 2026?

The Nepal floods, which began on August 26, 2026, are believed to have been triggered by a glacier collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border. This event caused an ice-rock avalanche that devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.

How many people are still missing after the Nepal floods as of September 5, 2026?

As of September 5, 2026, nearly 900 workers remain missing from 12 hydropower projects, with around 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels. Overall, more than 5,000 people are still missing following the floods.

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Anushka Vats

Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can …Read More

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