CALGARY — Two hydropower workers have been pulled alive from a debris-filled tunnel in Nepal, nine days after catastrophic flooding tore through the Himalayan region and left thousands missing.The rescue of the two men at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydropower Station on Friday marks the first confirmed rescue of workers from the network of hydropower tunnels hit by the disaster.Rescuers found mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah and mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan approximately 170 metres inside the tunnel before bringing them to the surface. Both were taken to Kathmandu for medical treatment.The men had been trapped since Aug. 26, when the collapse of a glacier along the Nepal-China border sent a massive surge of ice, rock, mud and water through the Trishuli River valley.Sah reportedly remained behind in a control room to help colleagues escape when the flooding struck, before becoming trapped himself..At least 900 workers were initially reported missing from 12 hydropower projects affected by the disaster, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels. Rescue teams have been battling thick mud, collapsed infrastructure and unstable terrain to reach them.Authorities had previously said they were confident that dozens of workers at the Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant could still be alive inside an underground chamber. At least 639 hydropower workers remained missing across projects along Nepal's Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers as of Thursday.The broader disaster has killed more than 1,300 people and left more than 5,600 missing, according to the latest Reuters reporting. Nepal has recorded 1,294 deaths, while China has reported 31 deaths and 531 people missing in Tibet.The flooding caused widespread destruction across communities on both sides of the Nepal-China border, destroying homes and damaging roads, bridges and power infrastructure.The damage is expected to make recovery a long-term undertaking. Reuters reports that as many as 20,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged, while the economic damage has been estimated at approximately $2.56 billion..Global Affairs Canada said Wednesday that one Canadian citizen previously reported missing had been located and was safe.The department now says approximately 29 Canadians and permanent residents in Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region remain unaccounted for.The number can change as communications are restored and officials make contact with people in affected areas.Canadian officials are also working with families to collect DNA samples that could help identify unidentified victims.The RCMP is assisting Global Affairs Canada with the effort, working alongside authorities in Nepal and China.Canada has deployed consular officials to Kathmandu and committed $5 million in humanitarian assistance for relief efforts in Nepal..As of Thursday, 858 Canadians were registered as being in Nepal and 18 were registered as being in China's Tibet Autonomous Region through the Registration of Canadians Abroad system. The department cautioned that the figures are only an estimate because registration is voluntary and may not fully represent the number of Canadians actually living in or visiting the region.The International Red Cross estimates that more than 90,000 people may have been affected by the disaster.According to Reuters, the disaster has left communities across the Himalayan region facing destroyed homes, roads, bridges and power infrastructure.Telecommunications have largely been restored in affected areas, but hundreds of megawatts of electricity generation have been disrupted and major infrastructure remains damaged.
