Two Survivors Rescued in Nepal 10 Days After Devastating Flood; Death Toll Surpasses 1,300
Thestandard · 6 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A Chinese national and a Nepali woman were rescued alive on Saturday, September 5, 2026, ending 10-day ordeals following the devastating August 26 glacier collapse that sent wall of ice, rock and mud tearing through the Himalayan valley along the China-Nepal border. Luhaitao was pulled from a 225-metre tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district, Nepal, while Chandrika Shrestha, 64, was extracted from her buried home in Nuwakot district. The combined death toll across Nepal and China has surpassed 1,300, with thousands still missing.
Key Points
- Luhaitao was rescued from a 225-metre tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district, Nepal, on September 5, 2026
- The 64-year-old Nepali woman Chandrika Shrestha was pulled from her mud-buried home in Nuwakot district and airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment
- Nepal's national disaster agency reports 1,344 bodies recovered with approximately 5,000 people still missing in Nepal
- In China's Xizang Autonomous Region, 31 people were confirmed dead and 531 others remained missing as of Friday evening
- At least 900 people are believed trapped inside tunnels across six hydropower projects along the Trishuli River system
- The rescue operations involved Nepali Army personnel coordinated with disaster experts from China, India and South Korea
- Luhaitao told rescuers he saw light multiple times during his confinement and called out loudly to attract attention
- Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Zhang Maoming visited Luhaitao at the hospital following his rescue
Why It Matters
The survival of two individuals after 10 days in such extreme conditions demonstrates remarkable human resilience while underscoring the scale of international rescue coordination required for one of the region's deadliest natural disasters in decades . The ongoing operations at Gyirong Port, China' s main border crossing with Nepal, continue as workers search for hundreds still missing after the destruction of critical infrastructure .
The survival of two individuals after 10 days in such extreme conditions demonstrates remarkable human resilience while underscoring the scale of international rescue coordination required for one of the region's deadliest natural disasters in decades . The ongoing operations at Gyirong Port, China' s main border crossing with Nepal, continue as workers search for hundreds still missing after the destruction of critical infrastructure .