POKHARA, Nepal (Diya TV) — Rescue teams pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel Friday, nine days after floods struck Nepal’s Himalayan region.

Nepal’s army and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority identified the survivors as mechanical foreman Sanjay Sah, 30, and mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan, 45. Rescuers also recovered one body from the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant tunnel in Rasuwa district.

Officials said rescue teams could hear other workers calling from inside the tunnel. At least 557 workers remain missing at the site, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal, including about 115 who may be trapped in the main tunnel.

In a video released by Nepali authorities, Sah said he spent nine days underground and heard other workers calling for help.

“I made sure to evacuate everyone else, but I didn’t get the chance to escape myself,” Sah said from a hospital.

He told authorities that other workers could still be alive inside the tunnel.

Both survivors were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.

The rescue operation involved 75 army personnel, 18 police officers and technical experts. Teams have used controlled blasts, excavators and other heavy equipment to reach workers trapped by mud and debris.

More than 900 workers remain missing from about a dozen hydropower projects, according to local officials, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped inside tunnels.

Flooding damaged roads and hydropower facilities across remote mountain areas, complicating rescue efforts. Authorities have also raised concerns about ventilation and access to drinking water inside blocked tunnels.

Nepal’s army separately said rescuers recovered two bodies from a tunnel at the Langtang Hydropower Project.

Authorities said at least 1,294 people have died since the Aug. 26 disaster and more than 5,000 remain missing.

Officials believe a high-altitude glacier collapse near the Nepal-China border triggered floods and landslides across the region.

Nepal’s disaster agency estimated damage to property and infrastructure at about 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees, or $2.5 billion.

Nepal will observe a national day of mourning Sept. 7, with flags at government offices and diplomatic missions lowered to half-staff.

Rescue operations are also underway in China’s Tibet region, where authorities reported at least 31 deaths and 531 people missing.

The U.S. State Department said 75 Americans remained unaccounted for as of Wednesday, while 16 had been confirmed safe.