Survivors of a devastating flash flood in Nepal have described scenes of destruction after a powerful torrent of water, mud and debris swept through communities along the country’s northern border.
Rescue operations continued on Thursday as survivors from badly affected districts were evacuated by helicopter to safety. Some arrived on stretchers, while others were assisted from the aircraft by rescuers.
‘Everything is finished’
Among those rescued was 35-year-old customs agent Omkar Joshi, who spent the night stranded on a hilltop in the border town of Timure before being evacuated.
Describing the devastation, Joshi said much of the town had disappeared beneath water, mud and debris.
He told AFP that approximately 90 per cent of the people in the affected area were dead, describing the location as resembling a massive graveyard.
According to survivors, many residents escaped by scrambling up nearby slopes as floodwaters swept through the valleys.
Villages buried under mud and debris
The disaster sent a huge wall of water and mud through communities along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers.
Search teams have recovered hundreds of bodies, while many people remain missing as rescuers continue searching through thick layers of mud and debris.
Reports indicate that the disaster was linked to a glacial collapse, which triggered an overwhelming flow of water and icy debris into the river system.
The sudden nature of the flooding left many residents with little time to escape.
Families wait for news of missing relatives
At a military evacuation point in Bidur, anxious relatives gathered hoping to find loved ones who were among those rescued.
One of them, Sita BK, was searching for her younger brother, Ramchandra, a schoolteacher in Timure.
She said she spoke with him earlier in the day but had been unable to contact him since the disaster.
Another survivor’s relative, 24-year-old Anisha Nepali, returned from Kathmandu after learning that her mother and younger brother were missing.
“I have given their names, but am yet to hear anything,” she said.
Children among those rescued
The emotional scenes at the evacuation centre included the arrival of two young girls still wearing their bright green school uniforms.
A rescuer helped the children out of the helicopter, gave them biscuits and water and led them to safety.
The scenes highlighted both the scale of the tragedy and the ongoing rescue effort.
Devighat also badly affected
Further downstream, the town of Devighat was left heavily damaged.
Residents said that only one of about 150 houses along the banks of the Trishuli River remained intact — a four-storey old-age care facility.
Rescuers said several elderly residents were buried after a landslide struck the building as they attempted to flee.
Resident Sabir Miyan said warnings about floodwaters moving down from the mountains helped some people escape.
“Many of us could save our lives but everything else is gone,” he said.
Search and rescue continues
Emergency teams are continuing to search through destroyed communities, roads and riverbanks for survivors and missing people.
The thick layers of mud and debris have made the operation particularly difficult, while the destruction of roads and bridges has complicated access to some affected areas.
The disaster has also raised concerns about the safety of people travelling through the Himalayan border region, including foreign tourists and pilgrims.
A community facing enormous loss
For survivors, the immediate priority is finding missing relatives and securing shelter, food and medical assistance.
But the scale of destruction means affected communities face a long recovery process, with homes, roads, bridges and livelihoods swept away within a matter of minutes.
OnPointGist extends its condolences to the families who lost loved ones and wishes the rescue teams success as they continue searching for survivors.
