Kabir Maharjan, a Nepali hydropower worker rescued on September 4 after 10 days trapped in a flood-hit tunnel, returned home Friday after weeks in hospital and says he hopes to help rebuild Nepal despite wounds to his hand and leg.
Maharjan told AFP he survived by reaching an upper floor of the tunnel site and drinking water. Days later, he saw what appeared to be a light and heard voices; he called out and rescuers answered. He was airlifted from the hard-hit Rasuwa region.
The August 26 flood, triggered by a glacial mountain collapse near the China-Nepal border, has killed more than 1,400 people, most in Nepal, and left over 5,000 missing there. The energy minister told parliament that more than 800 hydropower-project workers remain unaccounted for; 47 bodies have been recovered from project sites. The government estimates reconstruction could cost $4.8 billion. Aid groups warn the humanitarian crisis is far from over.
