{"aiVersion":"1","content":{"id":"cmtnoivgw00048fi9htr3aoks","slug":"rescue-from-a-buried-hydropower-tunnel-two-survivo-20260905","title":"Rescue from a Buried Hydropower Tunnel: Two Survivors After Nine Days","level":"MEDIUM","publishedAt":"2026-09-05T01:03:31.053Z"},"topic":{"slug":"rescue-from-a-buried-hydropower-tunnel-two-survivo-20260905","category":"world"},"article":{"paragraphs":["Rescuers have pulled two workers alive from a mud-filled chamber at the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project, nine days after a sudden flood and mudslide swept the Trishuli valley. The operation was carried out after days of careful digging, draining and clearing, and engineers used maps, satellite images and as-built drawings to find a safer route into the buried tunnel. The two men are named Sanjay Sah, a 30-year-old mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor.","They were found about 40 to 60 metres inside the tunnel and were taken to a military hospital in Kathmandu for treatment. Sah said he chanted mantras while he was trapped and later asked rescuers, 'What day is it?' At times the teams stopped using explosives and cleared the last metres by hand to avoid endangering anyone deeper inside. Foreign rescue specialists joined Nepali teams to advise on the complex operation. Although the rescue offers hope for some families, more than 1,200 people have been reported killed and thousands remain missing since the August 26 disaster. Rescue teams are continuing to search other tunnels while relatives wait anxiously for news."],"wordCount":188,"readTime":2},"vocabulary":[{"word":"hydropower","example":"The hydropower plant sits beside the river.","phonetic":"/ˈhaɪ.drəˌpaʊ.ər/","definition":"electricity produced by moving water"},{"word":"mudslide","example":"A mudslide covered the road and houses.","phonetic":"/ˈmʌdˌslaɪd/","definition":"a fast movement of mud down a slope"},{"word":"mantra","example":"He kept a quiet mantra in his mind.","phonetic":"/ˈmæn.trə/","definition":"a short, repeated prayer or phrase"},{"word":"explosives","example":"Teams used explosives to remove big boulders.","phonetic":"/ɪkˈsploʊ.sɪvz/","definition":"materials used to blow up rock or large objects"}],"quiz":[{"answer":"nine days after","question":"When were the men found after the flood?"},{"answer":"he chanted mantras","question":"What did Sah say he chanted while trapped?"},{"answer":"about 40 to 60 metres inside the tunnel","question":"How far inside the tunnel were the men found?"}],"discussion":[{"question":"Do you believe teamwork is important in emergencies? Why or why not?"},{"question":"Have you ever helped someone in a dangerous place? What did you do?"},{"question":"What do you think people feel when they wait many days for news?"},{"question":"Would you visit a disaster area to help if you had the skills? Why or why not?"}]}