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oi-Swastika Sruti
After waiting for nine long days in complete darkness in a tunnel, a dramatic rescue operation took place in Nepal on Friday as 30-year-old Sanjay Sah was rescued from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project alive.
After nine days trapped in a tunnel at Nepal’s Trishuli 3A hydropower project, Sanjay Sah, 30, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, were rescued alive on Friday; Sah survived by chanting Hare Krishna and prioritized saving others.
But for Sah, surviving in darkness was not only a matter of waiting for rescue; he revealed that he chanted Hare Krishna mahamantra for nine whole days in darkness with the hope of being rescued.
The significance of the rescue operation lay in the fact that Sah was rescued on the auspicious day of Krishna Janmashtami, which marks the birthday of Lord Krishna.
‘I Was Chanting Hare Krishna For Nine Days’
Speaking briefly on being rescued, Sah told that he kept reciting the mantra of Hare Krishna throughout his period in the tunnel.
“I was reciting Hare Krishna mahamantra for the last nine days,” he told as per PTI.
Sah is an employee of Nepal Electricity Authority hailing from Saptari district of Madhesh province who was working at the hydropower project site at the time of the incident.
After being rescued, he was provided initial medical treatment and then shifted to the hospital. His condition has not been reported to be serious as yet.
He Stayed Behind To Help Others Escape
Sah’s account also revealed why he was unable to escape when others fled.
He was working in the project’s control room when the disaster hit. Instead of immediately running for safety, he said he first tried to help others get out.
“My responsibility was to save everyone’s life,” Sah said.
By the time others had managed to leave, Sah was unable to make his own escape and became trapped inside the underground structure.
He later remained in contact with rescuers and others nearby through voices and noises.
‘The Tunnel Is Very Long’
Another issue of concern was that there could still be people trapped in the tunnel.
“[There] were only three or four people with whom we could talk to,” said Sah, adding that they could hear voices of people in their vicinity.
He further said that the tunnel was quite long and people trapped inside may not have managed to escape.
Thus, his rescue has brought new hope in the search operation for missing people.
Two Workers Rescued After Nine Days
Sah was rescued along with 45-year-old Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical supervisor at the project.
The Nepal Army and Armed Police Force were involved in the operation. Rescue teams had been working for days to locate people believed to be trapped underground before finally reaching the two men.
Maharjan was taken to a military hospital in Kathmandu for treatment and was reported to be in a more serious condition, while Sah remained stable.
