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🇳🇵 Nepal /Disasters & Emergencies

Eleven days without a call: Three Kanchanpur families wait for news of missing men

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • Sittu Rana has received no call from her husband, Rikesh, since floods struck the Upper Trishuli 1 hydropower project on August 26.
  • Rikesh and two other men from his family, Kaluram Rana and Kresan Rana, worked at the same project and remain missing.
  • The families face growing uncertainty because the missing men were key sources of household income, although reports of late rescues have kept hope alive.

For 11 days, Sittu Rana has kept her phone close, waiting for a call from her husband, Rikesh. He normally called about three times a day from the Upper Trishuli 1 hydropower project in northern Nepal, asking about their home and their two-year-old daughter.

The calls stopped on August 26, when devastating floods swept through Rasuwa district. Rikesh had spoken to Sittu that morning after working the previous night. He told her he would sleep after breakfast and call again in the afternoon. That call never came.

I keep waiting for him to get in touch.

· Sittu RanaShe described waiting for news from her missing husband.

“As soon as we heard about the flood, we started calling him,” Sittu said. “But we could not get through. We still have no idea where he is.” Rikesh had moved to Rasuwa about two years earlier after years of wage work in India. He returned home in June for the rice-planting season, then resumed work at the project on July 17.

He worked under China Power Construction Corporation, welding and taking on other jobs as required. For Sittu, the job had offered a chance for the family to build a life in Nepal, close enough to home. “Everything was going well,” she said. “He had found a good job in his own country. Then, in an instant, everything fell apart.”

As soon as we heard about the flood, we started calling him. But we could not get through. We still have no idea where he is.

· Sittu RanaShe recalled trying to contact Rikesh after the floods.

Rikesh was the family’s main source of income, leaving Sittu worried about how they will manage. Reports that security personnel rescued some people on the 10th and 11th days after the disaster have prevented hope from disappearing completely. But no confirmed information about Rikesh has reached the family.

Two other men from the same family are also missing: 30-year-old Kaluram Rana and 23-year-old Kresan Rana, who shared a room with Rikesh at the project. Kaluram is Rikesh and Kresan’s uncle. Their three homes stand beside one another near Pipal Chautara in Dekhatbhuli, in Krishnapur Municipality-3 of Kanchanpur. Since the floods, relatives and neighbors in all three households have been waiting in silence.

Everything was going well. He had found a good job in his own country. Then, in an instant, everything fell apart.

· Sittu RanaShe described the impact of her husband’s disappearance on the family.
About this summary

Originally published by Kathmandu Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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