River water smashed into tunnel and chased me for 20 minutes, Nepal worker tells BBC

Pemba Dundu Tamang tells the BBC how he discovered some of his colleagues were missing after he escaped a flooded tunnel Nepalese hydropower workers have told the BBC about the catastrophic moment water from the Trishuli River crashed into their tunnel as the region was inundated by deadly flash floods last week. It started with a sudden, strong gust of air, says Pemba Dundu Tamang, whose team of about 30 was constructing the tunnel's concrete lining. The blast of wind sent plywood flying through the air and dislodged heavy machinery. Just outside, houses had already been swept away. "I ran towards the tunnel entrance," he said. "The water was chasing behind me and I was running ahead of it." Tamang lost several family members who were at home at the time. Nepal's death toll has exceeded 1,000 after last week's devastating floods, and officials say about 4,000 are missing.

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