Nepal’s paramilitary force personnel carry the body of a flash flood victim for burial at a mass burial site in Chitwan, Nepal, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — For those stranded by a flood, survival depends on many factors including access to oxygen, food and water.
\n\nCatastrophic flooding along the Nepal-China border has killed hundreds and left thousands more missing. On Monday, rescuers in Nepal raced to free hundreds of workers thought to be trapped in hydropower site tunnels that were buried in mud.
\n\nExperts say the first 72 hours are critical as the chances of survival drop without access to clean water.
\n\nOne important aspect is whether the tunnels had emergency protocols in case of an outage or natural disaster, said disaster epidemiologist Jennifer Horney with the University of Delaware.
\n\nIf so, workers could have been trained on the location of exits. But the force of the flooding could mean mud may be caked over such exits, rendering rescue plans difficult, Horney said.
\n\nFor the hundreds trapped, access to clean drinking water is critical and it’s unclear whether any emergency supplies were already stocked in the tunnels.
\n\n“There just really wouldn’t be a way…
Original source: https://apnews.com/business