Figure caption, Pemba Dundu Tamang tells the BBC how he discovered some of his colleagues were missing after he escaped a flooded tunnel.
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- Nepal death toll crosses 1,000 as rescuers race to find workers trapped in mud-filled tunnelsPublished11 hours ago.
Trabalhadores de hidrelétricas nepalenses contaram à BBC sobre o momento catastrófico em que a água do rio Trishuli invadiu seu túnel enquanto a região foi inundada por inundações repentinas mortais na semana passada.
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.
Corri em direção à entrada do túnel," ele disse. "A água estava me perseguindo e eu estava correndo à frente dela.
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.
A number of the missing - potentially in the hundreds - are labourers like Tamang, working in a vast network of tunnels at hydropower sites along the river. Engineers have been pumping air into these tunnels as part of a huge rescue operation.
Estamos focados nos esforços de busca e salvamento nos túneis, nosso trabalho continua," disse o porta-voz do Exército do Nepal, Raja Ram Basnet, à agência de notícias AFP.
Our soldiers are also deployed to collect bodies and prevent the spread of disease.
The army said 119 people had been rescued on Tuesday.
Tamang says he ran for about 20 minutes to flee the violent deluge, which followed him uphill.
Eu estava quase inconsciente com choque. Não conseguia pensar claramente.
His colleague, Itha Ghale, says the powerful gust of air almost blew them away as they sprinted.
Over 99% of the electricity generated in Nepal comes from hydropower, and Tamang and Ghale had been working at a major production site helping to build the Upper Trishuli 3B Hydropower Project.
A usina, que deveria abrir no próximo ano, foi projetada para reutilizar água de uma usina hidrelétrica mais acima do rio, a fim de gerar eletricidade adicional para a rede nacional do Nepal.
There were several different teams operating there - and Tamang says the one operating the large tunnel-lining machine was the last to come out.
But soon afterwards came a crushing realisation.
I could see where my house should have been. There was nothing left. That was when I realised everything was gone.
Seis parentes de Tamang — sua mãe, irmão mais velho e cunhada e três de seus filhos — estão desaparecidos, ele disse. Eles estavam em casa à beira do rio quando as inundações atingiram.
Only his wife, son and one nephew survived.
I feel life is meaningless now. Surviving feels miserable. I do not know where to eat or where to go," Tamang says.
Os mortos estão em paz. São nós, os sobreviventes, que sofremos.
Ghale, who lost eight members of his family, says he does not know why he survived. "Perhaps it was not my fate to die.
The eight family members include his mother and eldest daughter. His three sons and wife survived.
Tamang dreads what the future may bring, especially if these hydropower projects are shut down. "If things continue like this, we will go hungry. Sometimes I feel it would have been better not to survive.
Tamang, por fim, conseguiu se refugiar com alguns outros na vila de Shanti Bazar por dois dias, até que o exército veio resgatá-los.
Ele estima que cerca de 50 a 60 trabalhadores conseguiram escapar do túnel junto com ele.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Rescue workers are operating at affected hydropower sites to try to find trapped workers.
Ele diz que mais pessoas poderiam ter sido salvas se os recursos adequados tivessem sido disponibilizados.
This is echoed by a new report which says there was evidence of growing instability around the glacier in the days before the disaster - and that better early warning systems could have saved lives.
These are all possible signs the mountainside was becoming unstable.
The avalanche itself moved too fast for conventional warnings to help those closest to it, the scientists say.
But further downstream, where the flood took 10 minutes or more to arrive, they say a comprehensive warning system could potentially have saved a significant number of lives.
No momento, no entanto, especialistas da China, Índia e Nepal continuam a usar escavadeiras e máquinas pesadas para perfurar os destroços dos projetos hidrelétricos na tentativa de alcançar trabalhadores ainda presos em vários locais de hidrelétricas.
There are probably still some survivors inside. I would be happy if they were rescued quickly," Tamang says.
Eu conheço muitas pessoas que ainda estão presas lá.
Additional reporting by Justin Rowlatt, climate editor.
Head teacher evacuated 900 children minutes before Nepal floods hit school.
Filmagens das inundações no Tibete estão sendo fortemente censuradas na China - e pouco sabemos sobre as vítimas lá.
