The Nepal army rescued two men alive from a tunnel at a hydropower project nine days after a deadly debris-laden flood knocked out homes and power plants, and left more than 1,250 people dead.

The rescue sparked hope in a grieving nation. More than 5,000 people are still missing in Nepal, according to the country's disaster-management agency, including hundreds of hydropower workers.

The army called the rescue the "rebirth of two lives."

Crowds of helmeted search-and-rescue workers surrounded the two mud-slathered men as they were escorted to safety on Friday, images from the scene showed. One man had his hands joined in a gesture of thanks or prayer as he was carried away in a stretcher. They were later transported by helicopter to a military hospital in Kathmandu, according to district police chief Bipin Regmi.

Search efforts continued Friday for other workers believed to still be trapped at the same tunnel, according to Shri Ram Neupane, a ruling-party lawmaker and tunnel engineer who has been involved in the operations.

Rescue efforts had been under way for days at the site, a hydropower installation on the Trishuli River, which was inundated in last week's flood. Search teams faced the challenging task of reaching mountain tunnels buried in mud.

Nepal's army spokesman said Monday that army engineers had conducted a controlled explosion at the tunnel and excavators were being used to clear mud and debris at a depth of about 30 feet. In all, 75 troops from the army and some 18 paramilitary personnel were involved in the rescue, army spokesman Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said Friday.

The army has been working for days at other locations to clear away silt and debris to gain access to the tunnels.

Many of the lengthy hydropower tunnels contain spaces or rooms where it would be possible for people to survive for many days, officials and hydropower engineers say.

Over the border in China, where the death toll has climbed above 20, rescue crews were able to open a road on Thursday to Gyirong Port, an immigration checkpoint that was engulfed in a wave that towered over the five-story building. All indications from authorities are that no one survived at that site, according to groups with travelers there when the flood hit.