Survivors recount terrifying escape as Nepal floods sweep away homes and people
Survivors of Nepal’s devastating flash floods have described moments of sheer panic as walls of water, mud and debris swept through settlements along the Bhotekoshi River, forcing people to scramble towards higher ground to escape.
Dipak Tamang, from neighbouring Sindhupalchowk district, was in Timure market near the Nepal-Tibet border when the flood struck on Wednesday. He initially thought an earthquake had hit, but soon saw water, mud and stones rushing towards nearby homes.
Tamang ran towards a hillside as houses around him began collapsing. The climb was difficult, and he repeatedly slipped while using thorny bushes and nettles to pull himself upwards.
“It was my last race between life and death,” he recalled, according to Nepali news portal Onlinekhabar.
After reaching the hilltop, Tamang watched helplessly as several people, including his friends, were swept away. He later found shelter in an old wooden storage building in the forest, where dozens of other survivors had gathered. He remained there overnight in the rain before being rescued about 24 hours later.
Photojournalist Amul Thapa, who reached Trishuli shortly after the flooding, described widespread devastation. Writing in Naya Patrika, he said much of Trishuli market had been buried under mud, with only the roofs of some houses visible. Roads and homes had become almost indistinguishable.
Residents were searching for missing family members, while some students from Uttargaya Boarding School reportedly walked for six hours through a forest before reaching safety.
Bodies recovered from areas along the Rasuwa floodwaters were also being transported through Chitwan by Friday, Thapa reported.
Among those rescued were Indian-American couple Anjana Raja and Pattabiraman Venkatesan. The couple described seeing what appeared to be a towering wall of water and debris approaching them.
“I knew I was going to die,” Raja told CBS News.
Venkatesan estimated the wall of debris was 60 to 70 feet high and said it initially looked like a tsunami. Raja said she grabbed her husband and shouted, “Run”, before the two abandoned their bus and raced uphill as homes collapsed around them.
The couple eventually reached higher ground with the help of a guide. Venkatesan described their survival as “nothing short of a miracle”, saying the experience had given them a renewed appreciation for life.
with inputs from PTI
