Terrifying moment two survivors found alive inside tunnel nine days after catastrophic Nepal floods

Rescuers in Nepal let out cheers of joy as they hauled two men out of an underground tunnel network alive, nine days after they became trapped.

Incredible footage captured the moment that the pair were pulled to safety after spending more than a week below the surface in wake of the deadly floods.

It's offered a glimmer of hope for those who feared the worst for the hundreds of workers who are said to be trapped in tunnels following the recent disaster that has left at least 1,259 people dead.

Nepal has been picking up the pieces since an 'apocalyptic' wave of mud, rock and water careered through towns and valleys after a glacier collapsed on 26 August.

It inflicted complete devastation within a matter of minutes and obliterated a host of hydropower projects along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, where hundreds of people were working.

An aerial view of houses surrounded by debris in Rasuwa following the flash floods (Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images)

Rescuers have been relentlessly continuing their efforts to find those trapped inside tunnels, and on Friday (4 September) morning, it emerged that two workers had been found alive.

Emergency responders cheered in elation as the first man was pulled from a tunnel related to the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project.

Sanjay Shah, a foreman at the site, was the first to be rescued before his colleague, supervisor Kabir Maharjan, was also retrieved by rescuers.

They emerged covered in mud and appearing dazed as they saw daylight for the first time in more than a week.

According to army spokesperson Brig Gen Raja Ram Basnet, the duo were rescued from a depth of 170 metres inside the tunnel.

Heartwarming footage captured the rescue of the two workers (Nepal Electricity Authority)

Shah is said to have asked those who saved his life: "What day is it?"

He then recounted what had happened to him when the flash floods hit to rescuers, explaining he was in the tunnel's control room when disaster struck.

Shah said, as per The Guardian: "Usually there would be only five or six people there but at this time there must have been around 40 to 45 people inside.

"Since I was in the control room, my responsibility was to save everyone’s lives. After such an accident, I couldn’t just run away by myself. I had to save everyone.

“While trying to get everyone out, I told them that there had been a major accident at the dam and urged everyone to run.

'I couldn't get out myself'

"In doing so, I lost time," Shah added. "In the end, I couldn’t get out myself."

To cope with being trapped in the darkness, Shah said he passed the time by chanting mantras. He said he communicated with around three or four others while down there by 'shouting to each other from nearby'.

"There could also be people inside the powerhouse," he added. "Some of them may not have been able to escape."

Officials reckon that they will soon be celebrating similar success stories, as Nepal’s communication minister Bikram Timilsina said: "We are waiting for the rescue of more and more people."

Both Shah and Maharjan were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu and are said to be in a stable condition.

The men, who were covered in mud, are said to be in a stable condition (Nepal Electricity Authority)

CNN reported that Nepal police chief Bipin Regmi explained that 'rescuers heard voices', allowing them to find and save the two men.

About 900 workers are missing from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, with roughly 500 believed to be trapped in tunnels, according to local authorities.

At least 1,259 people were killed and more than 5,000 remain missing, the country’s disaster management agency said.

China reported that 21 people were killed and 541 were missing on the Tibet side of the border on Wednesday (2 September).

Indian army colonel Parikshit Mehra also described what the ordeal of being trapped in a tunnel is like to CNN, explaining that those stuck will no doubt 'panic'.

"Getting stuck in a tunnel, you can’t see anything," he said. "Generally if you stay in the dark you get disoriented in about 24-25 hours.

"Beyond that, [after] 48 hours, you start hallucinating. And then I think from there on it’s always a fight...there have been miracles."

Here's to hoping there's many more miracles to come.