Light at the End of the tunnel: An extraordinary tale of tunnel survival and rescue

A village at Tilathi Koiladi rural municipality of Saptari district is currently awash with joy after technician Sanjay Sah, who survived nine days trapped inside a flood-hit hydropower tunnel, returned home to a warm welcome from his family and fellow villagers.

The 30-year-old youth was safely pulled alive by the Nepali Army from the tunnel of the Trishuli-III A hydropower project on the 10th day after the August 26’s devastating Bhotekoshi flood.

He returned home on last Friday evening after eight days of hospital treatment. His family and relative celebrated his homecoming by cutting a cake and distributing sweets, sharing the joy of his miraculous survival.

Sah’s father, Ramphal Sah, said that his family had almost lost hope of finding his son alive as there was no contact from him in the wake of the disaster.

“Seeing news of his rescue on social media felt nothing less than a ‘miracle’,” he gushed. Similarly, Sah’s wife, Laxmi Sah, expressed gratitude to God, the security personnel and everyone involved in the rescue.

“I had almost given up hope of finding my husband. God has given my husband and father of my daughter, a second life,” she chimed in. Recalling the terrifying moments when the devastating flood struck in Rasuwa district, technician Sah shared that they had received an early warning but had little time to escape.

Reflecting on that ordeal, he narrated, “We knew the flood was coming and tried to alert our friends. But while we were attempting to get out, the water overwhelmed us. A huge wave swept over us and I had no idea where my friends had gone.”

Trapped in the darkness of the tunnel, Sah lost all sense of time. He spent two or three days near the ventilation system, struggling to survive without a single grain of food. With no food or clean drinking water around, he had no choice but to filter muddy water mixed mobil through his clothes to soothe his parched throat. Despite the terrifying circumstances, he divulged that his faith kept him going.

He mentioned that he kept chanting sacred mantras, which gave him the courage to endure the unprecedented situation. “The tunnel was completely dark and I could not tell whether it was day or night. Every second was a grave struggle to stay afloat. The flood had changed the tunnel’s structure so drastically that finding a way out seemed impossible. At times, I felt as though I was already dead,” the survivor recounted.

According to him, his hope was restored when he heard the sound of rescue machinery approaching. Although grateful for his second chance at life following the successful rescue, he worries that his colleagues are still missing. Needless to say, Sah’s survival story stands as a testament to extraordinary courage and the human will to live against seemingly impossible odds. (RSS)