A tunnelling expert told the AFP news agency that prior to the rescue, teams had already dug through debris blocking the tunnel for 50 to 60 metres (164 to196 feet).

They were hoping for a breakthrough, said Arnold Dix, president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association - and then they pulled the two survivors out.

"Right now, I'm 'glass three-quarters full'," said Dix.

"After a week of 24/7 heartache, we might, just, be back in miracle country."

Azadeh Moshiri
Reporting from Rasuwa, Nepal

Both of the rescued workers have injuries on their hands and legs, “possibly” from crawling through the tunnel. They are suffering from lack of oxygen, authorities from the Nepal Electricity Agency (NEA) have told the BBC.

Azadeh Moshiri
Reporting from Rasuwa, Nepal

We have just spoken to Suresh Raut, a senior official of the Nepal Electricity Authority. He just told us they believe there are 39 workers in the tunnel.

They can't confirm how many are alive, but they confirmed the same figure of two survivors recovered from the tunnel.

He told us the survivors have been airlifted directly to the hospital in Kathmandu.

Azadeh Moshiri
Reporting from Rasuwa, Nepal

Amid all the devastation and the fading odds, this is a moment of hope.

Thousands of people are still missing, including hundreds of workers trapped in tunnels, many feared dead. But on Friday, rescuers suddenly heard voices in the Trishuli 3A tunnel, more than a week after the flood that has devastated border areas in the country.

These missions are challenging, as rescuers must make their way through flooded tunnels choked with mud and debris.

The crew had previously blasted a hole in the crown of the tunnel, and had descended on ropes. Excavators have also been used, and oxygen is also being pumped into the tunnel.

The survivors are now being airlifted to army hospitals for treatment, and the hope is more will follow.

Amir Maharjan, the brother of the rescued worker Kabir Maharjan, says that he is "so happy" that he has been rescued.

"My heart is lighter," he tells AFP news agency.

"The entire family is very happy," he says, according to Reuters.

Rescuers have described the moment they made contact with the surviving men.

After they initially heard voices from inside the tunnel, rescuers had called out: "Don't panic, we are here to rescue you," according to local news reports.

Then they heard a "faint response" from inside, saying "okay".

This is the dramatic moment that the workers were rescued from the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Plant, nine days after a flash flood that has killed more than 1,200 people.

We can bring you more photos from the Nepali authorities of the rescued workers.

Officials have told BBC Nepali that they are expecting at least 42 people to be rescued from the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Plant.

Image source, NEA

Image source, NEA

We're now getting the first photos of the people that have been rescued from the Trishuli 31 Hydropower Plant in Nepal.

The person in the photo below is Kabir Maharjan.

Image source, NEA

Image source, Shaktimaya Tamang/BBC Nepali

Sanjaya Shah has been airlifted to Battar, north-west of trhe capital Kathmandu.

The wife of Kabir Maharajan, the second person rescued, is getting ready to go to Chhauni Hospital, a military hospital also in Kathmandu.

We're getting more details on the people that have been rescued from the hydropower site in Nepal.

Authorities tell the BBC that Sanjaya Shah, the first person rescued, is not in a condition to talk.

The second person, Kabir Maharjan, "smiled and was thankful", authorities say.

Separate rescue operations are taking place at half a dozen hydropower tunnels in which more than 150 people are feared trapped.

The two who have been rescued so far today are from the Trishuli 3A tunnel.

Hundreds of the more than 5,000 still missing are labourers working in a vast network of tunnels at hydropower sites along the river.

Engineers have been pumping air into the hydropower tunnels as part of the huge rescue operation.

Here is a graphic that shows how that is being done:

Authorities tell the BBC that the second person rescued from the project is Kabir Maharjan.

Authorities have named Sanjaya Shah as the first person to be rescued from the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project in Nepal.

Shah is a mechanical foreman with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), a senior official at the NEA told the BBC.

Suresh Chaudhari, Shah's colleague, told the BBC: "I am so, so happy, I have been waiting for the news. This has given hope that others will also be rescued alive."

Two people have been rescued alive from the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project in Nepal nine days after a flash flood that killed more than 1,200 people.

Teams are still working to rescue more people said to be trapped inside.

Suresh Raut, a senior official of the Nepal Electricity Authority who was at the rescue site, told the BBC that rescuers are providing oxygen to the rescued person, who authorities named as Sanjaya Shah.

Stay with us as we bring you updates on this breaking story.