2 trapped workers rescued alive from a tunnel in Nepal, officials say

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers in Nepal pulled a second worker alive from a tunnel Friday, Nepal lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane said.

He posted the rescue on his Facebook shortly after army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the first rescue during the operation at the Trishul 3A tunnel.

About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers in Nepal have pulled one worker alive from a tunnel, Nepal Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said Friday.

The worker was rescued during an ongoing operation at the Trishul 3A tunnel, Basnet said.

Local television news channels showed images of the worker covered in mud and being carried from the site on a rescuer’s shoulder. A medical team was checking on him at the site, Basnet said.

The rescue came nine days after the Aug. 26 floods, likely caused by a glacier collapse, that devastated towns and valleys in Nepal.

At least 1,259 people were killed and more than 5,000 remain missing, according to the country’s disaster management agency. China, as of late Wednesday, said 21 people were killed and 541 were missing on the Tibet side of the border.