Two workers trapped inside a tunnel linked to a hydroelectric power project were rescued alive nine days after devastating floods struck Nepal, raising hopes that more survivors may still be found.

The flooding occurred on Aug. 26, when a glacier collapsed in the higher Himalayas near the Nepal-China border, sending huge volumes of rock, ice and glacial meltwater into the Bhotekoshi River. The resulting flash floods swept through valleys, destroying infrastructure and triggering one of the country's deadliest natural disasters in recent years.

According to Nepalese authorities, the death toll has risen to 1,252, while more than 4,875 people remain missing.

Search and rescue operations are continuing amid fears that the number of casualties could increase further.

Rescue teams are using heavy machinery, helicopters and excavators to reach isolated communities cut off by the disaster and to clear tunnels buried by mud and debris.

Nine days after the flooding, rescuers reached two workers trapped inside a tunnel connected to the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project on the Trishuli River. The workers, identified as Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were located about 170 meters inside the tunnel after rescue teams heard voices from within. Both men were pulled out alive and airlifted to a military hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.

Officials said one of the rescued workers told emergency crews that other people were still alive inside the tunnel, raising hopes that additional survivors may be found.

 Authorities estimate that 30 to 40 workers could still be trapped in air pockets within the tunnel system.

Rescue efforts remain focused on 12 hydropower projects affected by the floods, where nearly 900 workers remain unaccounted for.

Officials believe around 500 of the missing workers may still be trapped underground, and international rescue specialists are assisting Nepalese teams in the ongoing operation.(ILKHA)