"I shouted when I saw the South Korean rescue team’s lights"—South Korea’s relief team rescues one person; reentry into Nepal tunnel planned for today

[Financial News] South Korea’s overseas emergency relief team dramatically rescued one Chinese survivor trapped inside a tunnel after flooding in Nepal. The team decided to reenter the tunnel after the rescued survivor testified that another person had been nearby. The team also found three bodies inside the tunnel.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, South Korea’s relief team rescued one Chinese survivor on the fifth (local time) from a tunnel near Weir Dam, where flooding occurred in Nepal. It was a miracle ten days after the accident. The survivor was found by the South Korean team 225 meters inside the UT-1 Hydroelectric Power Plant tunnel and was then brought out safely.
The survivor was identified as a Chinese man, Lu Haitao. According to The Associated Press (AP) and China Central Television (CCTV), Lu said, "I shouted as loudly as I could whenever I saw the rescue team’s lights in the distance." He also said it was truly unbelievable when South Korean rescuers arrived and found him.
Lu, who was rescued, testified that there had been one more person near where he was, although he did not know whether that person was alive. Lu was handed over to the Nepal Army and transported to a hospital by military helicopter. He is currently in stable condition. Based on Lu’s testimony, South Korea’s relief team plans to coordinate with the Nepal Army and conduct additional search-and-rescue operations in the UT-1 Hydroelectric Power Plant tunnel on the sixth.
Inside the tunnel where the Chinese survivor was found, the floor had turned into a muddy sludge, and deep, cold river water filled the passage. Wearing diving suits, the relief team crawled over the muddy floor to enter the tunnel. They eventually found the survivor in the pitch-dark tunnel. Getting back out was also difficult. The rescuers had to struggle through water that rose to their chests while bringing the survivor out of the tunnel.
The relief team had also found one body before rescuing the survivor. After reinforcing the original seven-member team with three additional members, the team reentered the tunnel, rescued Lu, and recovered the body it had found earlier. During the recovery, the team discovered two more bodies. However, because the rescuers were exhausted, they returned to the base camp for the time being.
An official from the overseas emergency relief team said, "The rescuers returned after confirming the locations of the bodies." The official added, "We plan to continue searching the tunnel, the powerhouse, and areas near Yellow Bridge."
Even after the ‘golden time’ had passed, survivors continued to be found, renewing hopes of rescuing the nine South Korean workers who remain missing.
On the fourth, two Nepalese employees were also dramatically rescued from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydroelectric Project in upper Trishuli, Bagmati Province, nine days after the flooding in Nepal.
[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter