Two Nepal rescues revive hopes 10 days after flood

Rescuers in Nepal pulled alive on Saturday a Chinese national from a tunnel and a local woman from her partially submerged home, as emergency teams searched with renewed vigour for thousands still missing 10 days after catastrophic flooding hit the China-Nepal border.

Who was rescued alive in Nepal's floods 10 days later?

A rescue team of Nepal Army personnel and foreign experts pulled a Chinese man, identified only as Luhaitao, from 225 metres (738 feet) inside a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district. Separately, Nepal's Armed Police Force rescued Chandrika Shrestha, 64, from her buried home in Nuwakot district. Both were reported alert and have been taken for medical treatment.

A military statement said the Chinese man appeared alert, though his hands were covered in thick, wet mud, and that his health was being assessed while search and rescue operations continued. He was among hundreds of hydropower workers who went missing after a tsunami-like wall of water and mud swept through the border region following a glacial and rock collapse on August 26.

How was the Nuwakot rescue carried out?

Police deputy superintendent Iqbal Hawari told AFP that a police team found Shrestha as they were clearing the area, and she was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment. Footage released by Nepal's Armed Police Force showed only part of her house still visible, with the lower floors submerged under thick sludge.

On Friday, two Nepali hydropower workers were also rescued at the Trishuli 3A tunnel, where searches continued alongside multiple other sites. At least 12 hydropower projects were destroyed by the floods, and both men were reported to be in stable condition in a Kathmandu hospital.

How many people are dead or missing in Nepal's floods?

So far, 1,344 bodies have been recovered in Nepal, according to the national disaster agency, with around 5,000 people still missing. In China, state media said 31 people had been killed and 531 remained missing. That brings the overall death toll to 1,375 people, with more than 5,500 still missing.

The government initially said it believed more than 100 workers could be alive inside multiple blocked tunnels. Experts from India, China, Australia and South Korea have been aiding Nepali rescuers in the search for survivors.

How is aid reaching flood-affected areas in Nepal?

Rescuers have been relying on drones to deliver medicine, food and other supplies, as well as transporting bodies, in high-altitude areas that are hard to reach by road. "We have sent a lot of relief material and right now our team is loading some materials for the hospital in the area," drone operator Avaya Pokharel told AFP in Nuwakot.

The United Nations has warned that the scale of the destruction makes delivering aid an immense challenge, launching a $50 million appeal to help more than 84,000 people affected by the disaster. With morgues overflowing, some 1,030 bodies have been buried in mass graves after DNA samples were taken for future identification, Nepal Police said on Saturday.

What has the Nepal government promised displaced families?

Prime Minister Balendra Shah promised to provide "safe and comfortable accommodation" for the thousands displaced by the disaster and currently living in temporary relief camps. "We know that staying there (in camps) is not easy for you," he said in a social media post on Friday.

He promised to "once again create an environment where you can dream about and build your future."