'Kept Chanting Hare Krishna': Nepal Tunnel Worker Trapped For 9 Days Rescued On Janmashtami - VIDEO

Kathmandu: After being trapped for nine days after catastrophic floods swept through parts of Nepal on August 26, a hydropower project worker rescued from a tunnel said on Friday that he kept chanting the ‘Hare Krishna’ Mahamantra to ease his mind while waiting to be rescued.

30-year-old Sanjay Shah, one of the two hydropower workers, was pulled alive from a tunnel buried by debris in Nepal on Friday, the tenth day of rescue efforts after catastrophic Himalayan flooding.

Lying down with an oxygen mask on, Shah told security personnel that he had been chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra throughout the nine days he remained trapped.

His rescue coincided with Krishna Janmashtami, the Hindu festival marking the birth of Lord Krishna. Sah, a foreman at the project, said he remained behind when others fled after the accident because he felt responsible for ensuring their safety.

Second worker airlifted to hospital

The second worker rescued, 45-year-old Kabir Maharjan, was airlifted to the Nepal Army Hospital in Chhauni, Kathmandu, for further treatment due to health complications, according to the New Indian Express.

Searches underway at other sites

The two were rescued from the Trishuli 3A tunnel. Searches are underway at multiple other sites. At least 12 hydropower projects were smashed by the floods.

The flash floods were triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on Aug 26. They devastated towns and villages across northern and central Nepal, causing widespread destruction.

The toll rose to more than 1,250 on Thursday as more bodies were recovered, while over 4,800 people remained missing.