News Wrap: 2 men rescued from Nepal tunnel 9 days after catastrophic flood

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: a pair of miraculous rescues in Nepal's flood zone. Two men were pulled from a tunnel more than a week after the catastrophic deluge that barreled through Himalayan river valleys. It's given first responders hope as they continue their search that others might also be alive.

Stephanie Sy has more.

Stephanie Sy:

From beneath the mounds of mud and debris, a miracle.

(Cheering)

(Applause)

Stephanie Sy:

Two workers who had been trapped in the underground tunnels of a hydropower plant for nine days were found alive. Search teams said they heard voices from inside the tunnel, allowing them to pinpoint the two men. Both were airlifted to a hospital in nearby Kathmandu. One of them, officials say, is in critical condition.

But Sanjay Sah had enough strength to speak, telling an army rescuer:

Sanjay Sah, Rescue Worker (through interpreter):

I was working as an operator in the control room. Since I was in the control room, my responsibility was to save everyone's lives. After such an accident happened, I could not just run away alone.

Stephanie Sy:

The workers' families, who had waited anxiously for days, said they were ready to give up hope when the news came.

Hira Shova Maharjan, Wife of Rescued Worker (through interpreter): We are very happy. Every day and night, we have been waiting, and even today we didn't even believe that he would come back. When I saw his picture in the news, we were so happy. All of us were crying.

Stephanie Sy:

For more than a week, crews have crawled through harrowing, tight spaces underground, looking and listening for any signs of life in the system of a dozen massive hydropower tunnels and navigating around tons of water and debris.

Rescue crews are working on the assumption that there are more survivors. More than 100 others are thought to be trapped in the same tunnel where the two men were found. So far, at least 1,200 people have been confirmed dead from last week's devastating floods, and more than 5,000 remain missing.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Stephanie Sy.

Geoff Bennett:

Also today, Ukraine's president says a Russian drone struck the headquarters of the country's security service today, wounding at least nine people. Heavy black smoke poured from the window of the agency's office in Central Kyiv. It's one of the most high-profile targets to be hit so far in the war.

Ukraine's foreign minister called the strike a major escalation, and President Zelenskyy says the military will retaliate in kind. Just outside the capital, another drone attack destroyed this warehouse as the city continues to face round-the-clock bombing.

One newlywed couple said that, despite the attacks, life must go on.

Iryna Baranova, Kyiv, Ukraine, Resident (through interpreter):

In the morning, when I was returning home from hair and makeup, I was returning during the sounds of explosions. But thank God everything was fine. Two explosions were heard. The alarm ended. We got together and went to the registration ceremony.

Geoff Bennett:

Meantime, on the diplomatic front, President Zelenskyy confirmed in a video today that U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow and then Kyiv for talks on Sunday.

President Trump tried to downplay the severity of the war in Iran today. Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, he was asked about comments yesterday from J.D. Vance, in which the vice president said he -- quote -- "wouldn't call it a war."

In response, Mr. Trump largely agreed, saying that the U.S. is carrying out what he called intermittent strikes.

President Donald Trump:

A lot of people don't call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us. It's not a big thing.

Geoff Bennett:

At least 18 U.S. service members have died and hundreds more have been wounded since the U.S. and Israel first launched military strikes on Iran more than six months ago.

A cleanup is under way across parts of the Midwest and East Coast after severe storms swept through overnight and into today, toppling trees and leaving thousands without power. In Ohio, crews carried out water rescues after floodwaters swamped residential neighborhoods, while, in Pittsburgh, a flood watch remains in effect after the city saw more than two inches of rainfall overnight.

Meantime, in and around Washington, D.C., the National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings amid a cluster of storms that shook the area just before midnight. Local media is reporting that lightning flashes hit the ground every second for several minutes in some areas.

In New York, police fatally shot a man wielding a knife on the city's iconic Brooklyn Bridge early this morning. Footage shows a large police response after officers responded to a call of a man walking on the beams of the structure. Authorities say that police harnessed themselves to the bridge and tried to convince the man to come down for nearly an hour, before he came at them with a knife.

Gerard Dowling, NYPD Emergency Services Unit:

They observed that the male was holding a knife and he stated to them: "I want to die. I want you to kill me. I have a bomb. You're not going to make me do something bad to the cops."

Geoff Bennett:

It is the second time this week that New York police have taken deadly action towards a knife-wielding suspect. On Monday, officers shot and killed a woman who had stabbed two people in Times Square, one of them fatally.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert says she's stepping down at the end of the year after more than seven years at the helm of the league. In a statement, she writes -- quote -- "I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger, and more enduring than we could have imagined."

During her tenure, the WNBA has seen record TV ratings and attendance, fueled in large part by stars like Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson, along with expansion and the league's first million-dollar player salaries. But Engelbert has been criticized by some players for her leadership, especially on matters such as pay, officiating, and the league's handling of player concerns. No plans for a successor have been announced.

On Wall Street today, stocks ended lower amid renewed concerns about higher interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average lost about 270 points. The Nasdaq fell nearly a third-of-1-percent. The S&P 500 also ended the week a bit lower.