'Fight through darkness, water': Nepal survivor recounts escape from flood-hit tunnel
A hydropower worker in Nepal describes surviving a devastating flood by escaping a darkened, water-filled tunnel. The disaster in Nepal and Tibet has now killed more than 1,280 people, with thousands still missing.
Dhan Bahadur Tamang, 32, was working at the Upper Trishuli 1 Hydropower Project near Nepal's border with China when he noticed a sudden change in air pressure inside the underground tunnel. Dust began to rise, and he sensed something was coming. No one in the tunnel was prepared for the flood wave that had already destroyed settlements upstream on the Trishuli river and was surging down the valley with immense force, killing more than 1,250 people in Nepal.
As panic erupted, Tamang found himself thrown onto the top of a tanker truck, which then began moving as water rushed into his section of the tunnel. He clung to pipes to keep his head above the water and suffered a leg injury. When the flood's force eased, he realized he was alive, along with some others. With the tunnel entrance blocked by debris, the survivors had no choice but to move deeper into the tunnel system, passing injured and dead colleagues along the way.
In near-total darkness, the group held hands to avoid losing one another, guided only by a single flashlight. Tamang described it as a long, exhausting struggle through darkness, water, wreckage and bodies before a burst of light signaled they had reached the outside.
Death and missing toll continues to rise
Nepal's disaster authorities reported Thursday a sharp rise in the number of missing. At least 1,259 people have been confirmed dead in Nepal, with the missing count now at 5,083. In Tibet, on the Chinese side of the border, 21 people have died and 541 remain missing, bringing the combined toll to 1,280 dead and 5,624 missing. Among the missing are more than 800 foreign nationals from at least 34 countries, including tourists and pilgrims.
More than 9,300 Nepalese army troops have been deployed to affected areas to coordinate search and rescue operations. Efforts are increasingly focused on tunnels at six hydroelectric plants, where authorities say around 900 workers remain trapped.
After his rescue, Tamang was reunited with his wife, who cried upon seeing him. He has since suffered nightmares, with his mind returning to scenes from the tunnel and memories of colleagues who did not survive. He said he will not work inside hydropower tunnels again, unwilling to tempt fate a second time.
