From Hospital to Hospital, Families Search for Those Taken by the Flood

Ram Budha last saw his younger brother Praveen at their workplace in Rasuwa before returning to Kathmandu. The next day, flooding through the Bhotekoshi river system swept through the area, and the 20-year-old hydropower worker disappeared.

Ram travelled back to Hakubesi and tried to enter the tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project. Mud reached his chest and forced him to stop. “I stood there and shouted my brother’s name, hoping he would answer,” he said. “I waited for a while, but there was no response. We have no idea what the situation is inside the tunnel.”

“

I stood there and shouted my brother’s name, hoping he would answer. I waited for a while, but there was no response. We have no idea what the situation is inside the tunnel.

The brothers come from Patarasi Rural Municipality in Jumla. Their parents are waiting at home while Ram tells them the search continues. Praveen had recently completed Grade 12 and planned to go abroad for work. Ram had brought him to Rasuwa to earn money while he waited to leave. “He was hardworking and listened to me,” Ram said. “I never imagined a day like this would come. I keep thinking that perhaps I should have left him in Kathmandu.”

“

I have been telling them that the search is continuing. But what answer will I give my parents now?

Ram is among thousands of relatives travelling across Nepal in search of people missing after last Wednesday’s flood. Families have arrived from Karnali, Sudurpashchim, Madhesh and other provinces, moving through Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Chitwan, Nawalpur, Tanahun and Pokhara. Some visit one hospital morgue after another. Others search rescue centres, police stations and military camps, carrying photographs of their missing relatives.

By Sunday evening, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 788 bodies had been recovered and 2,502 people remained unaccounted for. The missing included 933 hydropower workers, engineers and employees, as well as 592 foreign nationals and 127 Nepalis travelling with foreign tourists. Some families have split up to search several districts at once, while others have turned to social media or local representatives. Those without money, mobility or internet access often have no option but to wait.

“

He told me the work was difficult and that he was afraid of the rivers and streams. I told him I could send mon