30-year-old Sanjay Sah spent 9 days in a dark tunnel at a hydroelectric power plant in Nepal after devastating floods and landslides, surviving without food and drinking floodwater and water seeping through the rock. Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
Sah was rescued only on the 10th day. After being discharged from the hospital, he said that during the first few days he kept his eyes closed almost constantly, fearing that debris in the complete darkness would injure them.
According to him, the tunnel had completely changed after the flood: equipment had been washed away, the walls had partially collapsed, debris was scattered everywhere, and the floor was covered with holes and rubble. Because of this, his knowledge of the site, where he had worked as a mechanic for more than 3 years, was of little help.
He lost all sense of time and waited to be rescued
Sah initially tried to move through the tunnel, but later decided to stay in a place he considered the safest. That was where rescuers later found him.
I completely lost my sense of time and felt as if I were living in another world. I thought only 2 or 3 days had passed
The man admitted that thoughts of his wife, his 2-year-old daughter, and prayers gave him strength. 10–12 hours before being rescued, he began hearing excavators and people outside, which gave him hope.
A 45-year-old Kabir Maharjan was in the tunnel with Sah. They were separated by water, but Maharjan was also rescued, although he sustained more serious injuries.
According to Reuters, at least 1,300 people were killed in Nepal and Chinese Tibet after the collapse of a Himalayan glacier and the floods and landslides it caused, while more than 5,300 are considered missing.