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🇹🇭 Thailand /Disasters & Emergencies

Nepal flood survivors return to ruins to recover memories

From Bangkok Post · () English

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

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • Survivors are returning to villages in Nepal’s flood zone to recover belongings and documents after settlements were swept away.
  • Nepalese and Chinese figures put the number of missing at nearly 3,000, while 691 bodies had been recovered by Sunday morning.
  • The US Geological Survey said a glacial collapse near the China-Nepal border caused the torrent that carried boulders and debris downstream.

Shanti Lamichhane sat on a fruit crate in the dirt where Nepal’s Dhunge village once stood, waiting for bulldozers to clear a path back to what remained of her home. She said she wanted to recover a few belongings, but also her memories.

I want to retrieve a few things, but it is not just about that. All my memories are there too.

· Shanti LamichhaneShe explains why she is waiting to return to the remains of her village.

Dhunge, once home to about 150 families, has been reduced to mud, debris and a strong rotting stench. It is one of dozens of settlements destroyed by the floods. Survivors who fled with almost nothing are now returning to see what remains and search for documents, valuables and personal keepsakes.

The US Geological Survey said a glacial collapse on the China-Nepal border sent an icy torrent downstream on Wednesday morning. The water drove boulders through the landscape and cut a path from northern Nepal toward the south. By Sunday morning, figures from Nepal and China showed nearly 3,000 people missing and 691 bodies recovered.

It was pasted on a chest that was floating. There was nothing else I could retrieve, but that photo also means a lot.

· Hari Prasad RimalHe describes recovering a photograph of his daughter from the flood debris.

In Devighat, Hari Prasad Rimal searched for jewellery and cash but recovered only a photograph of his daughter. It had been attached to a chest floating in the flood. His warehouse business remained inaccessible, and drone images showed mud and debris where it had stood. “It is gone, but I should not complain perhaps,” Rimal said. “At least, everyone in my family survived.”

It is gone, but I should not complain perhaps. At least, everyone in my family survived.

· Hari Prasad RimalHe reflects on the destruction of his business while noting that his family survived.

In Dhunge, Navraj Upretti waded through knee-high sludge seeking important documents. After an hour, workers found papers belonging to a neighbour and returned them. Upretti said he had less than a minute to escape, while his restaurant was completely destroyed. Santosh Adhikari, who was in Kathmandu when the flood hit, returned three days later and found his home buried. Workers say they occasionally find personal belongings, including gold jewellery, beneath the debris.

I have some important documents I really need.

· Navraj UprettiHe appeals for help while searching through the sludge around his destroyed home.
About this summary

Originally published by Bangkok 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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