A Nepali mechanical supervisor who was rescued on the 4th after being trapped in a hydropower plant tunnel by massive floods in Nepal reportedly survived for nine days by drinking muddy water.

According to an interview report by Reuters, Sanjay Sah (30), a mechanical supervisor at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric power plant in Nepal, was trapped inside the tunnel's control room during the devastating floods on the 26th of last month.

The tunnel where Sah was trapped suffered severe damage as floodwaters brought in mud and debris.

With equipment washed away and walls collapsing, the structure of the tunnel changed, leaving Sah—who was normally familiar with the interior geography—unable to escape on his own.

While awaiting rescue, Sah reportedly survived inside the tunnel by drinking muddy water and water trickling down from the rocks.

Although he moved around inside the tunnel at first, he decided to stay put in one spot after realizing the risk of becoming trapped in an even more dangerous location.

About 10 hours before he was rescued, the sound of an excavator began to be heard, and Nepali rescue teams eventually found and rescued Sah.

At the time, Sah was covered head to toe in mud, and after being helped out by rescuers, he was transported by helicopter.

Following his rescue, Sah stated that he spent most of his time in the tunnel with his eyes closed and lost all sense of time.

He said that although he was actually trapped for nearly nine days, he thought only about two to three days had passed while he was inside.

He also explained that when the floods occurred, he tried to evacuate other employees but failed to escape the tunnel himself.

Sah revealed that he kept thinking of his family while inside the tunnel and never let go of the hope that rescue workers would come.

He said he hung on by thinking of his wife and two-year-old daughter, and that he kept praying.

Kabir Maharjan, a mechanical inspector who was with Sah, was also rescued on the 4th.

Sah was discharged from the Nepalese Army Hospital in Kathmandu on the 11th.

According to estimates, the massive floods have resulted in a death toll of more than 1,400 people and left over 5,600 missing in Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region as of today.

The floods were reportedly triggered by a debris flow caused by the collapse of a glacier about 600 meters wide, along with rocks, at an altitude of approximately 5,200 meters on Mount Langtang Lirung (elevation 7,234 meters) in Bagmati Province, north-central Nepal.