On Saturday, September 5th, Chinese migrant worker Lu Haitao was rescued from a tunnel in Nepal. He had been trapped in the flooded tunnel for 10 days. His sister Lu Hairong revealed to the media that her brother used to work on farms in their hometown in between stints of manual labor on construction sites, just to make ends meet.
According to Nepalese authorities, Lu Haitao did not suffer any visible injuries, his vital signs were stable, but he showed signs of mild hypothermia.
Lu Hairong, Lu Haitao’s sister, told “Front Page News” reporters that the 49-year-old Lu Haitao is from Tangyin, Anyang, Henan Province, China. He had gone to Nepal for work just before the Chinese New Year in February. Though he didn’t disclose his exact whereabouts and activities, Lu Hairong understood her brother’s actions. Prior to leaving, her brother used to work on farms back home and did manual labor on construction sites during off seasons, just to make a living.
After the floods in Nepal on August 26th, Lu Haitao’s family was unaware of his plight until they received a call from the labor company. Only then did Lu Hairong learn about her brother’s ordeal. Being far away from Nepal and having no other means to gather information, she could only rely on news shared by other families in the missing relatives support group. Every time she saw news of someone being rescued in Nepal, a glimmer of hope arose in her heart. Finally, on September 5th, the good news arrived, and the heavy burden that she had carried for so many days was lifted.
During an interview with “Red Star News,” Lu Hairong mentioned that her brother had traveled to Nepal for work with another villager from their village. It was his first time working abroad, and since then, the family hadn’t seen him. Due to poor local signals in Nepal, the family had limited contact with Lu Haitao. They occasionally communicated via WeChat, with Lu Hairong only inquiring about his health and adjustment to the environment, without delving into work-related matters. When he first arrived, he mentioned needing time to acclimate to the new surroundings.
Lu Hairong shared that Lu Haitao has a wife and a child at home, and their small plot of land only yields a meager income of a few hundred yuan per acre per year. The couple primarily did odd jobs for a living, with Lu Haitao working as a carpenter. As his wife’s health was not robust enough for strenuous work, she would take up casual jobs when needed and tended to the farm during busy seasons while picking up odd jobs during off seasons. Following the incident, his wife had lost the will to work outside the home.
According to information released by the Nepalese military, Lu Haitao was rescued from a 225-meter long tunnel within the “Upper Trishuli 1 hydropower project” on Saturday. The Nepalese government estimates that around 900 workers are trapped in various tunnels across multiple hydropower projects.
Lu Haitao’s miraculous survival after being trapped in the tunnel for 10 days has given a glimmer of hope to the families of other missing individuals. Within the WeChat group for relatives of missing persons, family members expressed sentiments of renewed hope, stating, “We all have hope now.”