Sanjay Shah was trapped in a dark tunnel connected to a hydroelectric power plant in Nepal following devastating floods. Fearing that debris might injure his eyes, he kept them closed for days on end. When he was miraculously rescued after nine days, he found it difficult to even open his eyes. In a special interview with Reuters on Friday, after being discharged from the hospital, he said, “There was nothing for me to see. I kept my eyes closed most of the time. I was afraid I might accidentally injure my eyes by stumbling or bumping into something. So, I kept them shut for long periods. After doing this repeatedly, it eventually became difficult to open them.”
In late August, the collapse of a Himalayan glacier caused catastrophic devastation in the valleys below. At least 1,300 deaths have been confirmed across Nepal and the Tibet region of China, with over 5,300 people reported missing.
The 30-year-old Shah is currently recovering at his sister’s home in Kathmandu. For over three years, he had been working as a mechanical foreman at the Upper Trishuli-3A hydroelectric plant, operated by the state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority. The multi-story power plant where he remained trapped for most of those nine days was built deep within the mountain. Shah recounted that he had no food; he survived solely by drinking floodwaters and water seeping through the mountain rocks.
When despair threatened to overwhelm him, Shah turned to a sacred Hindu mantra for solace. “I used to think, if I am going to die anyway, why give up so soon?” Shah recalled. “So, I kept chanting the name of God and reciting the sacred mantra. The mantra gave me a unique feeling—almost a spiritual experience. I wasn’t afraid; instead, I felt calm and at peace.”
There was an open space on the fifth floor of the six-story power plant. From there, Shah would shout downwards, trying to determine if anyone else had survived, but he received no response. He said, “At first, I firmly believed that a rescue team would come. As the days passed, that belief remained unshaken. I kept telling myself, ‘I am not alone. I have a family, and they are suffering terribly for me out there.'”
He said that thinking of them gave him strength and boosted his morale. “Even if my death was destined, why should I panic and give up so quickly? So, I chanted God’s name and prayed.” He added, “I had completely lost track of time. It felt as though I was living in another world. I thought only two or three days had passed. I was stunned when I later learned that ten days had actually gone by.”
Moving about in the darkness, he would often bump into various objects. His body was cut and scratched by the debris. Broken tube lights and other items lay scattered around; some shards even pierced his feet. Layers of mud and debris deposited by the floodwaters had transformed the entire tunnel. Shah said, “Before the flood, I knew every part of the tunnel. I could venture deep inside without any difficulty. But after the flood, the entire structure had changed. Machinery had washed away, crates were scattered, and walls had collapsed. Debris had created mounds in some places and pits in others. My prior familiarity with the tunnel was of no use anymore.”
Initially, Shah tried to move around inside the tunnel, but he later realized that venturing elsewhere might trap him in an even more dangerous spot. So, he decided to stay put. “I came back and stayed in the spot that seemed safest. That was where the rescuers eventually found me. I don’t know what would have happened to me otherwise.”
A few hours before his rescue, Shah began hearing various sounds from outside. He said, “I knew they would come. I knew the rescue operation would begin. I could hear sounds outside—much like the rumbling of drums.” On the day of the rescue—and about 10 to 12 hours prior to it, once the situation had calmed down somewhat—I began hearing sounds from outside. He added that he could hear the noise of excavators operating and the clanking sound of metal ladder parts. About 10 to 12 hours before the rescue, I could clearly hear the sounds of people working; this truly instilled hope in me.
