Ten days in absolute darkness. No food. Only murky water to keep the throat wet. That is what 30-year-old hydropower worker Sanjay Sah faced after a catastrophic disaster struck Nepal.
When a massive glacial collapse on the China-Nepal border triggered flash floods on August 26, the Upper Trishuli Hydropower Station turned into a death trap in seconds. Tsunami-like walls of water surged through the valley. Workers tried to raise the alarm, but the rushing torrents moved too fast. Sah found himself cut off from the outside world, trapped deep inside a concrete tunnel as muddy debris blocked every exit.
You lose all track of time down there. When disaster rescue crews finally broke through on September 4, Sah’s first bewildered question wasn't about his injuries or the damage. He asked how many days had passed. He thought he had been trapped for only a brief moment, not nearly a week and a half.
Finding Hope in Total Darkness
Isolation breaks people quickly. Yet Sah survived by clinging tightly to his routine and his faith. He chanted Maha Mantra prayers repeatedly to keep panic at bay.
He was not entirely alone in his subterranean prison. Another worker, 45-year-old Kabir Maharjan, was trapped in a separate pocket nearby. Through the thick concrete and debris, their voices carried. Hearing another human soul offered a vital lifeline when giving up would have been easy.
Clean water was non-existent. Sah survived solely on the muddy puddle water pooling around him. It is a grim reminder of how fragile human endurance becomes when nature turns hostile.
The Cost of the Disaster
While Sah's return to his village of Tilathi Koiladi brought emotional celebrations and traditional welcoming ceremonies, the wider picture remains heartbreaking. The floods and landslides claimed thousands of lives across Nepal, leaving thousands more missing. Many families in the region are still waiting by phones and riverbanks for news that may never come.
Sah admits his feelings are complicated. He feels immense gratitude for his second chance at life, yet deep sorrow for the coworkers who didn't make it out. He has publicly urged authorities to maintain search efforts, believing others might still be found.
What This Teaches Us About Mountain Infrastructure
Disasters like this expose harsh realities about industrial safety in the Himalayas. Climate change is accelerating glacial melt, making flash floods more unpredictable and violent than ever before. When warning systems give workers only minutes to react, standard evacuation protocols fail.
Governments and engineering firms must reevaluate how they protect underground personnel. Better real-time sensors, reinforced emergency chambers, and faster communication lines are non-negotiable.
If you want to support recovery efforts in the region, look to established international aid organizations actively providing relief to displaced families in Nepal. Check local updates and direct your resources to frontline humanitarian groups operating on the ground.
Watch the report on the rescue
This video documents the miraculous rescue operation that pulled survivors out alive from the flooded tunnel after days of agonizing suspense.
