Nine days. That simple, and that brutal.
Sanjay Shah and Kabir Maharjan were working at the Upper Trishuli 3A hydroelectric power plant, in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, when the flash floods of August 26 left them trapped in a tunnel in complete darkness. Nine days later, on Friday, September 4, the Nepalese army brought them out alive. They had injuries to their hands and legs, and symptoms of prolonged oxygen deprivation, but they were alive. The first thing Shah asked, according to officials who spoke to The Guardian, was: “What day is it today?”
As they saw daylight again, another worker, Pemba Dundu Tamang, managed to escape by running from the water and discovered that his house no longer existed. He lost six family members, including his mother and his three nieces and nephews. Official figures report 1.287 bodies recovered and 5.083 people still missing.
There are still 42 more people trapped in that same tunnel. And in Nepal, every rescue like that of Shah and Maharjan has become the only hope left for the families who are still waiting.