Kathmandu, September 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
After 10 days of uncertainty and anguish, the family of Kabir Maharajan finally received the news they had been desperately waiting for on Friday morning: the 45-year-old hydropower worker had been rescued alive from a flood-affected tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project in Nepal.
Kabir, a supervisor with the project’s hydropower automation unit, was among workers who went missing after devastating floods swept through the Trishuli and Bhotekoshi river corridors on August 26.
His younger brother, Amir Maharajan, said the family received confirmation of the rescue at around 8:30 a.m.
“We are extremely happy that my elder brother, who had been missing for 10 days, has been rescued alive. The happiness this has brought to our family is beyond words and impossible to express,” Amir told IANS.
Kabir was taken to the Nepal Army Hospital in Chhauni, Kathmandu, for treatment. His family saw him briefly as he was being taken inside the hospital.
“We saw him briefly while he was being taken into the hospital. His condition appears to be fine. He is currently receiving treatment in the treatment room, and we are waiting outside,” Amir said.
The family had been living through an agonising wait since the floods. Amir said he had spoken to his brother a day before the disaster, while Kabir had also spoken to his daughter-in-law on the morning the floods struck.
For the next 10 days, the family closely followed television reports, social media and other sources for updates, unsure whether the next piece of information would bring relief or further distress.
“The following 10 days were extremely painful and uncertain for us. We lost both sleep and appetite,” Amir said, describing the constant anxiety faced by his parents, sister-in-law, nieces, sister and other relatives.
The breakthrough came on Friday when the family first learned that another person had been rescued from the tunnel. Soon afterwards, they received confirmation that Kabir had also been brought out alive.
Along with Kabir, 30-year-old Sanjaya Sah, a foreman, was also rescued from the tunnel. The Nepal Electricity Authority subsequently contacted the Maharajan family to confirm Kabir’s rescue and inform them that he was being taken to the Nepal Army Hospital.
“After the long and difficult 10-day wait, the entire family is filled with happiness to have my brother back safe and sound,” Amir said.
The rescue has also raised hopes for families whose relatives remain unaccounted for following the floods.
According to the latest update from Nepal Police, at least 1,295 people had been killed and 4,898 remained out of contact as of 2 p.m. on Friday.
The floods caused extensive damage to hydropower projects and other infrastructure along the Trishuli and Bhotekoshi corridors. Several people working at the affected hydropower projects are still believed to be missing.
Amir expressed gratitude to the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force expert teams, rescuers and others involved in the search operation, as well as people in Nepal and abroad who supported the affected families.
The rescue of Sanjaya Sah had earlier brought relief to his family. His wife, Laxmi Kumari Sah, told IANS that she was at home when she received the news at around 8:30 a.m.
“I am very happy about the rescue of my husband, and it has brought happiness to all my family members,” she said.
According to a video circulated on social media, Sanjaya said three to four people were still in his unit, while more than 40 people had managed to leave the tunnel following the incident. This information could not be independently verified from the report.
The Independent Power Producers’ Association, an organisation representing private-sector power developers, said on Thursday evening that as many as 945 people working across 11 hydropower projects affected by the floods remained out of contact.
The successful rescue of Kabir and Sanjaya has provided a renewed sense of hope as rescue teams continue efforts to locate people still missing after the disaster.
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