Nepal floods: Survivors search for loved ones as grief overwhelms rescue efforts

In the wake of devastating floods along the Bhotekoshi River, survivors in Nepal's Nuwakot district are grappling with profound grief and the desperate search for missing loved ones. Three days after the disaster, essential relief has yet to reach many affected areas, while the grim task of recovering bodies buried beneath homes and settlements has barely begun.

The stench of decomposing bodies is reportedly spreading through the flood-hit settlements. In villages like Gerku, Betrawati, and Aaitar, homes remain submerged in thick mud and floodwaters. Betrawati, once a thriving town of religious, historical, and economic significance, has been transformed beyond recognition. Its iconic bridge is gone, along with much of the centuries-old Newar settlement and fertile farmland that once sustained families.

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I keep seeing the flood and water splashing even in my dreams. I cannot return home. I have no clothes to wear. I am wearing clothes borrowed from my relatives.

For those who survived, the flood has left them with little. Ishwari Pyakurel, who lost her mother-in-law and her home and farmland, described recurring nightmares of the flood. "I cannot return home. I have no clothes to wear. I am wearing clothes borrowed from my relatives," she said, now sheltering with her family at a relative's home. The flood has also torn her extended family apart, with her sister, brother-in-law, and granddaughter missing, along with her daughter-in-law's brother.

Families like Pramod Rijal and Pragati Adhikari's are caught in a desperate wait for news. Their seven-year-old daughter is among the missing, highlighting the widespread devastation and the agonizing uncertainty faced by many in the flood-affected regions of Nepal.

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We had seen floods before, but never anything like this.