‘The water was chasing me’: Inside Nepal’s desperate race to save hundreds trapped underground

A week after a massive glacier collapse in the Himalayas triggered devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet, rescue efforts are underway to find thousands missing, including hundreds of hydroelectric project workers believed trapped in tunnels. Many of these tunnels, some large enough for trucks, were flooded. Pemba Dundu Tamang, a worker who escaped, described a powerful gust of wind and water "chasing me" as he ran for 20 minutes to safety, ultimately losing six family members. Another survivor, Itha Gala, lost eight relatives. Nepalese authorities, aided by India and China, are using heavy machinery and drones to search the over four-kilometer tunnel network, though drones have so far found "only mud and debris." Experts note that survival chances diminish significantly after 72 hours without clean water, and fears of suffocation are growing. While some oxygen may have been supplied, food and water are critical. The disaster, described by some as a "tsunami from the sky," has claimed 987 lives in Nepal and 16 in China.