Nepali hydropower worker Kabir Maharjan, who was rescued alive 10 days after catastrophic floods trapped him inside a tunnel, says he wants to return to work and help rebuild his country despite the ordeal he endured.

The 45-year-old father of two returned to his home in Kirtipur on Friday after spending weeks recovering in a hospital in Kathmandu. Relatives welcomed him with traditional music and tears as he arrived home.

“Life is precious. Hundreds of people have died but I survived,” Maharjan told AFP, his voice filled with emotion.

He said his survival had given him a renewed sense of purpose and that he believed he might still have work to do for his family, his community and his country.

The devastating floods struck on August 26 after a glacial mountain collapse near the China-Nepal border triggered enormous waves of water. More than 1,400 people have been killed, most of them in Nepal, while more than 5,000 people remain missing, according to the report.

The disaster swept away roads, bridges and settlements across mountainous northern regions and severely damaged hydropower projects that are important to Nepal’s economy.

Maharjan was among hundreds of workers at hydropower facilities affected by the flooding in the worst-hit Rasuwa region. He was eventually rescued and airlifted from the area on September 4 along with fellow worker Sanjay Sah.

Maharjan said he survived by reaching an upper floor of the tunnel site and drinking water while waiting for rescuers to arrive.

“Whenever I was awake, I would try to find a way out,” he said.

After several days, he saw what appeared to be a light and heard voices. Unsure whether he was imagining them, he called out and heard rescuers respond.

More than 800 people working at hydropower projects in Nepal remained unaccounted for, the energy minister told parliament the previous week. Forty-seven bodies had been recovered from flood-damaged project sites as rescue teams continued searching through the destruction.

Maharjan is still recovering from injuries to his hand and leg, but he said he hopes to return to his profession. He acknowledged the risks involved in rebuilding damaged infrastructure but said people must continue despite those dangers.

“There is risk in everything, but still we have to win over it,” he said.

The flooding caused extensive damage to Nepal’s hydropower system, which plays a central role in the country’s development plans and export earnings. The government estimates that reconstruction could cost about $4.8 billion, with thousands of people displaced and major infrastructure destroyed or damaged.

The disaster has also raised questions about how roads, hydropower facilities and trade corridors are constructed in Nepal’s difficult mountainous terrain.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah told the United Nations on Thursday that the floods were “a warning to the world” about the growing dangers associated with climate change and called for greater international support to help Nepal recover and adapt.

Humanitarian organizations have warned that the crisis remains severe even as floodwaters recede.

David Fisher, head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Nepal, said the country urgently needed to move into the next stage of recovery to protect people’s health and prevent further economic hardship.

For Maharjan, rebuilding the country is closely connected to his own recovery. Despite everything he experienced, he said he wants to continue working and contributing to Nepal’s future.

“Work is our karma,” he said.