When the ground disappears beneath your feet, opinions from the sidelines are easy. Rescue work is not. On 26 August 2026, devastating flooding in the Bhotekoshi–Trishuli corridor severely damaged infrastructure around the Upper Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project in Rasuwa. Workers were trapped deep inside a tunnel, surrounded by massive amounts of mud, rock and debris. For days, rescue teams worked through darkness, unstable ground and extremely difficult conditions. On September 4, voices were heard from inside the tunnel. What followed was a breakthrough that everyone had been hoping for: two workers, Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan, were brought out alive after roughly nine days underground. That moment matters. It does not mean every decision made during the rescue was perfect. Disaster response should always be open to review, learning and accountability. But accountability and armchair expertise are not the same thing. From the safety of our homes, it is easy to say, “They should have done it this way.” It is very different to enter a damaged tunnel, work around unstable debris and make decisions where one mistake can cost a life. The people trapped inside needed rescue, not commentary. And the people on the ground went in. To the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepal Electricity Authority technical teams, and everyone who worked on the ground and supported the operation — thank you. Your work may never be fully understood by those who only watched from outside, but the lives brought out of that tunnel are a reminder of what determined rescue work can achieve. And for those who believe it could have been done better: Bring the solution, not just the criticism. Hindsight is inexpensive. Rescue is not. But perhaps there is another lesson we should take from Tunnel 3A. We cannot prevent every flood, landslide or natural disaster. But we should be investing far more seriously in technologies that can detect risks earlier, monitor dangerous conditions in real time, improve warnings and give communities and rescue teams more time to prepare. The goal should not only be to become better at responding after disaster strikes. We should become better at anticipating what may happen before it does. Better data. Better monitoring. Better early-warning systems. Better technology. Because sometimes, minutes of advance information can make the difference between a difficult rescue and a life that never needs to be rescued. This is the story of Tunnel 3A — not only a story of people trapped underground, but a reminder of the courage of those who went in, the lives that were brought out, and the responsibility we have to build a safer future. Respect the rescue. Learn from the disaster. Prepare for the next one.