Nepal-Tibet Floods: A Hydropower Engineer’s Tale of Survival
River water smashed into the tunnel and chased me for 20 minutes, Pemba Dundu Tamang, a hydropower engineer from central Nepal, tells the BBC.
Nepalese hydropower workers have shared harrowing accounts of the moment deadly flash floods struck their construction sites last week.
Pemba Dundu Tamang recalls, "I ran towards the tunnel entrance. The water was chasing behind me and I was running ahead of it." He describes a powerful gust of wind that sent plywood flying and dislodged heavy machinery, while houses nearby were swept away. Tamang, whose team consisted of approximately 30 people, managed to escape, but he lost several family members who were at home at the time.
The floods, which have left over 1,000 dead and 4,000 missing in Nepal, also impacted a vast network of tunnels at hydropower sites along the Trishuli River. Engineers have been working tirelessly to pump air into these tunnels as part of a rescue operation. Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the ongoing search and rescue efforts, emphasizing the focus on preventing disease spread.
Tamang’s colleague, Itha Ghale, describes the powerful gust of air that almost blew them away as they sprinted for safety. They were working on the Upper Trishuli 3B Hydropower Project, which was due to open next year, generating additional electricity for Nepal’s national grid.
Despite the devastation, Tamang feels a profound sense of loss: "I feel life is meaningless."
