Survivor recounts escape from Himalayan tunnel in India

A whistle turned into a roar of water that trapped a dozen men in a Himalayan tunnel after a glacier burst in northern India, but Rajesh Kumar lived to tell the tale.

Eighteen people were confirmed dead yesterday and at least 200 others missing after the glacier broke off a mountainside, triggering a flash flood through a valley in the northern state of Uttarakhand.

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Floodwaters swamped a nearby hydro complex where Kumar and his colleagues were working 300 metres (984 feet) inside a tunnel.

"We didn't think we were going to make it," the 28-year-old told AFP from his hospital bed. 

"Suddenly there was a sound of whistling... there was shouting, people were telling us to come out. We thought it was a fire. We started running but the water gushed in. It was like a Hollywood movie."

The men clung to scaffolding rods in the tunnel for four hours, keeping their heads above water and debris, trying to reassure each other.

"We just kept telling each other –- come what may, we must not let go of the rods. Thank god our hands did not lose their grip," said Kumar.

"We climbed across the rock debris and forced our way to the mouth of the tunnel." There they found a small opening but they were not sure where it led.  Eventually, they saw some light coming through and one of the men got a phone signal and called for rescue.

There were emotional scenes as Kumar and his colleagues were pulled out of a tiny hole at the surface.