Chinese National and 64-Year-Old Woman Rescued 10 Days After Nepal Flood
64-year-old Chandrika Shrestha is rescued from her flood-buried home in Betravati, Nuwakot district, Nepal, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Photo: Nepal Police)
KATHMANDU, Nepal — A Nepali woman and a Chinese national were rescued alive Saturday, 10 days after being reported missing following a devastating flood in Nepal’s Bhote Koshi River, officials said.
Rescue teams pulled 64-year-old Chandrika Shrestha from the fourth floor of her buried home in Betrawati, located in Bidur Municipality-10, Nuwakot District. She was found unconscious after rescuers heard a voice while clearing debris and belongings from homes in the flood-affected settlement.
A team led by Inspector Suman B.K. of Nepal’s Armed Police Force carried Shrestha to the Nepal Army’s Maidhali Barracks in Trishuli by helicopter for initial treatment. She was later flown to Birendra Army Hospital in Chhauni, Kathmandu, for further care.
The Chinese national, Lu Haitao, was rescued at about 1:20 p.m. Saturday from 225 meters inside the Adi-4 tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project. The rescue was carried out jointly by the Nepal Army and a South Korean disaster-response team.
Lu showed no serious injuries but exhibited symptoms of mild hypothermia, according to officials. He was initially taken to an army barracks in Trishuli, Nuwakot, where he received first aid before being brought to Kathmandu for further treatment. A team from the Chinese Embassy met with him there.
An estimated 900 people were believed to have been trapped in various tunnels after a glacial lake outburst flood struck the area on Aug. 26. On the tenth day after the flood, rescue teams pulled two Nepali workers — mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan and mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah — alive from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project.
As of 6 p.m. Nepal local time Saturday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 1,331 bodies had been recovered, while about 5,000 people remained missing. The missing included 589 foreign nationals. The authority cautioned that missing-person figures may include unidentified bodies and people already rescued and remain under verification.
The authority said 13,101 people had been rescued as of 6 p.m., including 4,162 by the Nepal Army, 4,068 by Nepal Police and 4,871 through joint Armed Police Force operations. A total of 304 foreign nationals had been rescued.
It said 5,929 people were receiving treatment for injuries. The report said 3,982 people were staying in 41 holding centers across Rasuwa, Kathmandu, Nuwakot and Dhading districts.
Authorities reported that 21,465 security personnel had been mobilized, including 7,975 Nepal Police officers, 9,287 Nepal Army personnel and 4,203 Armed Police Force members.
The government said 83 trucks and 38 Bolero vehicles carrying food and relief materials had been dispatched to affected areas. Relief supplies had also been delivered through nine helicopter flights, while the Armed Police Force had transported supplies through 173 flights within affected districts.