Nepal floods | WATCH: Nepali Army rescues two workers trapped in Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel

Army personnel disembark a helicopter carrying Kabir Maharjan, a worker who was trapped inside a tunnel of Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project, as they arrive at Chhauni Army Hospital in Kathmandu on Friday. PIC/AFP

Two people trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project in Nepal have been rescued, nine days after flash floods wreaked havoc across the Himalayan nation, the Nepalese Army said on Friday.

Citing Shri Ram Neupane, a lawmaker from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, the Kathmandu Post reported that the two men have been identified as Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman, and Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor.

The two men were airlifted to Kathmandu following their rescue. According to Army officials, Sah will be treated at Birendra Army Hospital in Chhauni, while Maharjan will be taken to the National Trauma Centre.

The Nepalese Army also shared details of the rescue in a post on X.

The development comes after rescue workers established communication with people believed to be trapped inside the tunnel, nine days after the disaster struck Nepal.

The tunnel was sealed by flooding triggered by the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa on August 26. According to the rescue team, voices of more than one person were heard from inside the tunnel during the operation on Friday, news agency ANI reported.

‘Don't panic, we are rescuing you'

Rescuers reportedly told those inside, "Don't panic, we are rescuing you," to which they responded, "Yes."

A rescue team comprising personnel from the Nepali Army and Armed Police Force entered the tunnel and intensified the search and rescue operation. Establishing direct communication with the trapped individuals was viewed as a significant and encouraging development in the ongoing rescue effort.

Earlier, Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker and Energy Department chief Shreeram Neupane had said that Nepali Army personnel involved in the rescue operation received information that people were speaking from inside the tunnel.

"The rescue team has received information from the Nepali Army that voices of people have been heard inside. Teams from the Nepali Army and Armed Police Force have entered the tunnel and intensified the rescue operation," he wrote on social media. "Hearing people speaking from inside the tunnel is an encouraging sign."

Neupane, who had been stationed at the project site as an engineer, remained involved in the search and rescue operation until Thursday evening. He praised the efforts of the Nepalese Army, Armed Police Force, technical teams and other rescue personnel and expressed hope that those trapped inside would be rescued safely.

Search and rescue operations had been continuing for nine days to locate and rescue people believed to be trapped inside the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project.

Meanwhile, as developments continued to emerge from the rescue operation, the death toll in the Nepal floods rose to 1,290, according to the Nepal Police.

(With ANI inputs)