'Second life': Nepal tunnel survivor recalls ordeal

According to reports from the Gulf Times, a Nepali hydropower worker named Sanjay Sah has shared his harrowing experience of surviving for 10 days trapped inside a flooded tunnel. Sah, who was working on a hydropower project, found himself cut off from the outside world when the tunnel was suddenly inundated by water following a disaster at the site.

During his ordeal, Sah survived in total darkness, relying on limited resources and consuming muddy water to stay alive. He described losing all sense of time as he waited for rescue efforts to reach him. His survival has been characterized by rescuers and family members as a 'second life,' highlighting the extreme conditions he endured while trapped underground.

This incident underscores the significant risks faced by workers in large-scale infrastructure projects in mountainous regions. While rescue operations in such environments are notoriously difficult due to geological instability and water ingress, Sah's eventual recovery serves as a rare success story in the wake of industrial accidents. Authorities are expected to conduct a full investigation into the safety protocols at the site to determine how the flooding occurred and why workers were unable to evacuate in time.