Nebal-Tibet floods: River water smashed into tunnel and chased me, hydropower engineer says

After a series of flash floods hit central Nepal in late July 2025, hydropower workers told the BBC about a moment when water from the Trishuli River crashed into a tunnel they were building. The flood began on July 28 and quickly spread across the valley, threatening many villages and infrastructure.

A sudden, strong gust of wind started the day. Pemba Dundu Tamang, who led a crew of about thirty, said the wind sent plywood sheets flying and knocked heavy machines off their places. A house outside had already been swept away, and the crew had to scramble to safety.

Tamang ran toward the tunnel entrance. The water chased him, and he was running ahead of it. The storm took many of his family members at home. The death toll now is more than 1,000 confirmed deaths, and about 4,000 people are still missing. Many of the missing are labourers working on hydropower tunnels. Engineers are pumping air into the tunnels as part of a large rescue effort.

The Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet told AFP that the army is focused on search and rescue in the tunnels. Soldiers are also recovering bodies and trying to stop disease from spreading. The army reported that 119 people had been rescued on Tuesday. Rescue teams used boats, ropes, and helicopters to reach trapped workers. They also set up temporary shelters for survivors. The army is working with local volunteers to keep the area safe. Coordination with civilian agencies has improved the speed of response.

Tamang ran for about twenty minutes to escape the violent deluge, which followed him uphill. He was almost unconscious from shock and could not think clearly. His colleague Itha Ghale said the gust of air almost blew them away as they sprinted. The heat and exhaustion made it hard to keep moving.

More than 99% of Nepal’s electricity comes from hydropower. Tamang and Ghale were working at the Upper Trishuli 3B Hydropower Project, a plant that was scheduled to open next year. The project was designed to reuse water from an upstream powerhouse to generate extra electricity for the national grid. Hydropower is a key part of Nepal’s plan to reduce dependence on imported fuel and to provide clean energy for its growing population. The project also creates jobs for local communities.

The site had several teams. Tamang’s team, using a large tunnel‑lining machine, was the last to exit. He then realized the full scale of the disaster. He could see where his house should have been, but there was nothing left. Six relatives—his mother, elder brother, sister‑in‑law, and three of their children—were at home by the riverside when the floods struck. Only his wife, son, and one nephew survived. The loss of so many family members left a deep emotional scar.

Tamang says life feels meaningless now. Surviving feels miserable. He does not know where to eat or where to go. He says the dead are at peace, but those of us who survived suffer. Ghale lost eight family members, including his mother and eldest daughter. His three sons and wife survived. He does not know why he survived, saying, ‘Perhaps it was not my fate to die.’ The grief is overwhelming for both men.

Tamang fears what the future may hold, especially if these hydropower projects are shut down. He says if things continue like this, we will go hungry. Sometimes he feels it would have been better not to survive. He sheltered with a few others in the village of Shanti Bazar for two days until the army arrived. He estimates about fifty to sixty workers escaped the tunnel with him. The lack of food and clean water made the days very hard.

He says more people could have been saved if proper resources had been available. A new report shows evidence of increasing instability around the glacier in the days before the disaster. Stronger early warning systems could have saved lives. Satellite images indicate that the glacier surface was moving faster, meltwater turned brown, and a crack developed in the surrounding rock. Experts from the Asian Mountain Academic Alliance, the Stimson Centre, and China’s Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment noted these signs of instability. They recommend installing more sensors and improving communication with local communities. Better forecasting could reduce future risk.

The avalanche moved too fast for conventional warnings to help those closest to it. Further downstream, where floodwater took ten minutes or more to arrive, a comprehensive warning system could have saved many lives. Specialists from China, India, and Nepal continued to use excavators and heavy machinery to blast through debris from the hydropower projects in hopes of reaching workers still trapped in several sites. Tamang says there are probably still some survivors inside. He would be happy if they were rescued quickly. He knows many people are still trapped, and he urges more help. The rescue teams are working around the clock.

Rescue teams continue to work day and night. They have cleared some debris and found a few workers still alive. They are using drones to locate hidden pockets of water and to map the tunnel. The army and local volunteers are working together to keep the area safe. The hope is that more survivors will be found soon, and that the hydropower projects can resume safely. The community is also learning from the disaster to improve safety and preparedness.