Dharamshala, Sept. 5 -- A 50-year-old resident of Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district, Gian Singh returned home after surviving the devastating flash floods in Nepal. He said he was on duty at the 216 MW Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project in Rasuwa when the disaster struck.

Singh, who worked as a foreman at the project, spent two terrifying days before being rescued by the Nepal Army in a helicopter. "Our reporting time was 7 am. That morning, the weather was good and it was sunny. We had no idea that something like this could happen," he said.

"We were working inside the powerhouse and, at around 9.30 am, cold winds suddenly started blowing. It was unusual. We had never experienced such winds before. When we heard a loud noise, I rushed...