Workers at the Upper Trishuli 3B Hydropower Project in Nepal have described the terrifying moments when flash floods inundated their construction site last week. Pemba Dundu Tamang, a laborer at the site, reported that the disaster began with a powerful gust of air that dislodged heavy machinery and sent construction materials flying. As the Trishuli River breached the area, Tamang and his colleagues were forced to flee through the tunnel network.

Tamang described a desperate 20-minute sprint to escape the rising water, which he said followed him uphill. He estimated that between 50 and 60 workers managed to evacuate the tunnels alongside him. However, the human cost of the disaster has been severe; Tamang lost six family members, and his colleague Itha Ghale reported the loss of eight relatives, including his mother and daughter.

The flooding has devastated the region, with Nepal’s national death toll surpassing 1,000 and approximately 4,000 people reported missing. Rescue operations are currently underway, with the Nepal Army utilizing heavy machinery to clear debris from hydropower sites where workers remain trapped. Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet confirmed that efforts are focused on search-and-rescue missions and the recovery of bodies to mitigate health risks.

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Experts from the Asian Mountain Academic Alliance, the Stimson Centre, and China's Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment have indicated that satellite imagery showed signs of instability in the region prior to the disaster, including accelerated glacial movement and rock fractures. While researchers noted that the speed of the initial avalanche made conventional warnings difficult for those in the immediate vicinity, they suggested that better early warning systems could have saved lives further downstream.

For survivors like Tamang, the focus remains on the fate of those still unaccounted for. "There are probably still some survivors inside," he said. "I would be happy if they were rescued quickly."

Source: BBC News