Following a catastrophic glacial flood that struck Nepal on August 26, 2026, thirty-year-old worker Sanjay Sah survived ten days trapped in total darkness inside an inundated construction tunnel. Rescued on September 4, Sah recounted his ordeal of drinking muddy water and maintaining hope before being extracted alongside a fellow worker.
Ten Days Trapped in Total Darkness
For ten days, Sanjay Sah endured pitch-black conditions inside a flooded tunnel buried beneath thick layers of debris. When rescue crews finally breached the blocked passage on September 4, his very first question to emergency personnel captured the distortion of time caused by his ordeal.
Sah recalled that emergency responders told him ten days had passed, though he believed only a few had gone by. Like hundreds of other laborers working on dam construction sites across the extreme north of Nepal near the Chinese border, he became trapped when an enormous wall of ice, mud, and water surged through the area.
On September 4, when he was finally pulled from the tunnel buried under the mud where he was trapped, his first question was: “How many days has it been?” “They told me it had been ten days, I thought only a few had passed,” Sah told AFP on his way back to his home in the Saptari district (southeast).
A Tsunami-Like Wave and Mass Devastation
The disaster unfolded with terrifying speed on August 26. The latest provisional death toll from the catastrophe reports 1386 deaths and 5130 missing in Nepal. Sanjay Sah is one of the few to have survived several days under the sea of mud and debris.
Sanjay Sah, survivor, via AFP
“I was on duty when suddenly an unimaginable flood hit us, with waves similar to a tsunami, several meters high,” he recalled. “Workers had been warned that a flood was approaching but they didn’t have enough time to escape.”
“We stopped everything and tried to help our friends and evacuate them,” the worker continued. But within minutes, the tunnel was flooded. The scale of this flood, caused by the collapse of a glacier and a massive rock block, is unprecedented. The Nepali government has attributed it to climate change, which has accelerated the melting of the Himalayan glaciers.
Survival Tactics and Companionship Underground
Separated from his colleagues, Sanjay Sah found himself trapped in the tunnel, plunged into darkness, unsure if rescue crews could reach him. In his struggle for survival, Sanjay Sah could count on the support of a fellow sufferer. Another worker, 45-year-old Kabir Maharjan, was trapped a few meters from him but was still alive.
“I survived thanks to my deep faith and confidence,” he says. “I recited the Maha Mantra (Hindu prayers) and the divine energy I received allowed me not to be afraid or despair,” the 30-year-old said.
For ten days, Sanjay Sah, 30, survived in the total darkness of a flooded tunnel caused by the deadly flood that hit Nepal on August 26, drinking muddy water and praying that rescuers would find him.
A Joyful Return Home
Struggling to hold back tears, among his family and friends who gave him a warm welcome with flower garlands and a cake, he remembers how quickly the floods swept everything away. His family, friends, and neighbors celebrated his return on Sunday with flower garlands and a cake, while his house had been decorated with balloons.
His mother, Kapur Devi Sah, hugged him for a long time, crying, before washing his feet to welcome him according to a traditional ritual believed to bring good luck. “My son has returned, I am very happy,” Kapur Devi Sah said happily.
Sanjay Sah, survivor, via AFP
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