VOA常速英语2007年-Nepal Launches Rescue Operation to Search for S

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
26 December 2007

In Nepal, authorities mounted a massive rescue operation to find survivors¹ after a bridge over a river collapsed² in a remote part of the country. As Anjana Pasricha reports, at least 15 people were killed in the accident and scores are missing.

Soldiers and police officers began scouring³ the Bheri River early Wednesday for villagers who fell into its icy waters when a bridge collapsed about 350 kilometers west of Kathmandu.

The accident occurred Tuesday as hundreds of people were crossing the bridge to attend a monthly Hindu religious fair to celebrate the full moon.

Many of the people who plunged⁴ into the river managed to swim ashore⁵. But several people died, scores were injured, and many are missing.

Dev Gautam, from the Nepal Red Cross Society in the district, has been at the river with a team of rescue volunteers.

Gautam says hopes of finding survivors have faded, but several teams of rescuers kept up efforts to trace the missing people throughout the day. He says most of the injured have been ferried to local hospitals.

Local officials say strong currents in the river made the task of finding survivors difficult. They fear that many victims may have been swept down the river.

Officials say it is difficult to know how many are missing until information is collected from all neighboring villages.

The bridge was built earlier this year with metal and steel coils. But officials say pillars supporting the bridge apparently⁶ snapped under the weight of the crowd trying to cross it.

Nepal is a mountainous country crossed by streams and rivers. Foot bridges over rivers help to connect villages in remote areas, where there are few roads.

1 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

2 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 scouring   

擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤

参考例句：

• The police are scouring the countryside for the escaped prisoners. 警察正在搜索整个乡村以捉拿逃犯。
• This is called the scouring train in wool processing. 这被称为羊毛加工中的洗涤系列。

4 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

5 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

6 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。