Rescuers in Nepal pull 2 people alive from the debris 10 days after devastating floods

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers in Nepal pulled out a Chinese man and a woman in separate operations Saturday, 10 days after devastating floods hit the country, as teams continued searching for thousands of missing people.

The man was rescued from a hydropower tunnel, according to a social media post by the country’s prime minister’s office, bringing the total to three workers pulled alive from the Trishuli hydropower project. Two Nepalese workers were rescued on Friday.

Nepal’s army said a joint rescue team of Nepalese military personnel and South Korean disaster experts rescued the man from a 225-meter (about 740-foot) tunnel and that he was undergoing a health assessment. Images showed him being evacuated by helicopter, with an army medic checking on him during the flight.

A photo released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed two rescuers carrying the man, called Lu Haitao, out of the tunnel.

CCTV shared audio of Lu talking to an officer, saying how he repeatedly shouted whenever he saw the rescue crews’ lights, but they could not hear him.

“When they rescued me today, when they shone (the light) before my eyes, I couldn’t believe it,” he said.

Lu was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition, according to CCTV.

Lu’s sister, Lu Hairong, told Chinese state media Red Star News and Cover News that her 49-year-old brother was previously a farmer from Henan province in central China. She said Lu, who has a wife and son, also took additional work, mainly carpentry, during his spare time before heading to Nepal for work with a fellow villager in February, Red Star reported.

Lu’s family had been worried since the mudslide occurred, and his sister was thrilled when she saw her brother’s photo on the news.

“It’s a stroke of sheer luck amid the misfortune,” she told Cover News, referring to the rescue.

Rescue efforts have increasingly focused on 12 hydropower projects across Nepal, where about 900 workers are missing and roughly 500 are believed to be trapped in various tunnels, authorities said. Specialized rescue teams from India, China, South Korea and the United States have been searching through debris, damaged structures and tunnels at the projects, hoping to find survivors.

In flood-hit Nuwakot town, a woman was rescued alive from a house, Nepal’s army spokesperson said Saturday. Officials said she was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.

Images released by Nepal’s army showed rescuers finding the woman covered in mud inside the damaged house. They gave her bottled water before pulling her to safety, wrapped in a gray blanket.

At least 1,300 people were killed in the Aug. 26 floods, which were likely caused by a glacier collapse, and more than 5,000 remain missing, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency.

___

Saaliq reported from New Delhi. Associated Press journalist Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.