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🇳🇵 Nepal /Disasters & Emergencies

‘I survived, but my brother and sister didn’t’

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
  • Floods in Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts left hundreds of children sheltering in relief centres, while 250 students and teachers remained missing, according to preliminary Education Ministry data.
  • The ministry said 17 teachers and students had been confirmed swept away, and 23 educational institutions suffered severe structural damage.
  • Children described fleeing rising rivers and losing siblings after the Aug. 26 floods along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli corridors.

For 14-year-old Akash Tamang, the flood arrived as a roar from the Trishuli River. He had reached Uttargaya Public School early that morning when water rushed into the compound and sent crowds running toward the forest.

“We ran towards the forest as fast as we could. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have survived,” Akash said. “The flood swallowed my school in seconds. A bus bringing students to school was also caught in the flood.”

We ran towards the forest as fast as we could. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have survived.

— Akash TamangThe 14-year-old described fleeing the flood at his school.

Before leaving, Akash had prepared food for his younger siblings, eight-year-old Ashwin and 11-year-old Anisha. He sent them to Ramchandra Basic School across the border in Nuwakot. Neither child has been seen since the flood.

“I managed to survive, but my brother and sister couldn’t,” Akash said, wiping away tears. The children had been renting a room near Betrawati to attend school, supported by money sent by their mother, Karsang, who works in Dubai, and their father, Sanukanchha, who works in Malaysia.

The flood swallowed my school in seconds. A bus bringing students to school was also caught in the flood.

— Akash TamangHe recalled the destruction at Uttargaya Public School and the disappearance of his siblings.

In nearby Khalte, 16-year-old Samir Tamang also escaped by climbing a hill after the Bhotekoshi River became a torrent of debris. His sisters, 13-year-old Priya and seven-year-old Parbati, stayed home because Parbati had injured her hand. They have been missing since the flood swept through the village.

I managed to survive, but my brother and sister couldn’t.

— Akash TamangHe spoke about his missing younger brother and sister.

“My sisters were like my closest friends, and in a single moment, the flood took them away,” Samir said from a temporary holding centre at Shivalaya Basic School in Rasuwa.

Preliminary figures from the Education Ministry show 230 students and 19 teachers missing across the affected districts. Officials said search teams were still clearing mud and rubble, and the numbers continued to change as families re-established contact. UNICEF said 17,000 children were directly affected along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli corridors.

My sisters were like my closest friends, and in a single moment, the flood took them away.

— Samir TamangThe 16-year-old described losing contact with his two sisters after the Bhotekoshi flood.
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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