Nepal: Nine Days Later, There Is Still Hope

On Wednesday, 26 August 2026,  a major glacier and rock collapse along the Nepal Tibet border which triggered flash floods and debris flows.  This covered villages and people beneath debris and waters at a grand scale.

During this time, for nine days, two workers remained trapped deep inside a hydropower tunnel as, mud and boulders had blocked the entrance. As each hour passed, rescue might have appeared less likely. Yet the search continued.

Tireless rescue teams reached the men approximately 170 metres inside the Trishuli 3A tunnel and  miraculously brought them out alive after which they were flown to hospital in Kathmandu for treatment. Their survival became a powerful sign of hope amid an immense tragedy.

One of the survivor’s wife Kabir Maharjan, Hirashova, described the emotional moment plainly: “We had almost lost hope… I was so happy that I cried.”

Her words capture the struggle between fear and faith. Hope can become weak. It can feel distant. But even when people have almost lost hope, hope has not necessarily lost them.

The Bible says, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12, KJV). This verse does not deny suffering or promise an easy outcome. It calls us to remain prayerful and patient when hardship surrounds us.

There are moments when life feels like a blocked tunnel. We cannot see the way forward. The pressure is heavy, the silence is frightening, and nothing appears to change. Others may believe that the opportunity has passed or that the situation is beyond recovery. Yet what we cannot see may still be alive.

The rescuers did not allow nine days of difficulty to become their reason for stopping, but instead, it was a fact that their persistence mattered. This was matched by the workers’ endurance too, which resulted in life.

Today, there are many people who are facing darkness; but I encourage you to hold on. Help is on its way and when it comes, accept help and take the next possible step. Remember to keep praying, keep believing and keep trusting. Silence does not mean that nothing is happening.  

Dr Martin Luther King Jr stated that

“We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”

Nine days later, life emerged from the darkness, so remember there is still HOPE.