Survivors Recount Terrifying Ordeal as Rasuwa Flood Devastates Settlements

The morning of Wednesday began like any other for Raju Budhathoki, a customs agent at the Rasuwa Customs Office in Timure. But at approximately 8:45 am, the ground beneath him began to shake violently, signaling the onset of a terrifying ordeal.

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I was asleep when the whole hillside suddenly started shaking as if there had been an earthquake. The houses began trembling. There was no time to think about what was happening. I ran outside in whatever clothes I was wearing, just trying to save my life.

"I was asleep when the whole hillside suddenly started shaking as if there had been an earthquake," Budhathoki recounted from his hospital bed. "The houses began trembling. There was no time to think about what was happening. I ran outside in whatever clothes I was wearing, just trying to save my life." He witnessed houses in the Timure market being swept away by the flood, disappearing into the raging river within seconds, before he managed to reach safety in a forest uphill.

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From the forest, when I looked down at Timure, I never imagined I would get a second chance at life like this. Now everything feels like a terrible dream.

Budhathoki's harrowing experience was part of the widespread devastation caused by the Bhotekoshi flood. The catastrophic flooding and landslides around the Rasuwagadhi border area left a trail of destruction. As of Thursday evening, rescue teams had recovered 389 bodies, with hundreds still missing. Search operations continue amidst the staggering human loss.

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Suddenly there was a huge rumbling sound. Within moments, the whole market was engulfed in darkness, and the sky was covered by a black cloud. I ran out of my room without knowing what I was doing. I had no idea where to go or which way to run. I just wanted to survive.

Amidst the devastation, survivors like Budhathoki feel they have been given a second life. Prakash Gautam, another customs agent, described the scene as the market was engulfed in darkness by a "black cloud." "I ran out of my room without knowing what I was doing. I had no idea where to go or which way to run. I just wanted to survive," he said, noting that a minor foot injury paled in comparison to the relief of having survived. From the forest, he could see bodies floating in the floodwaters, a grim testament to the scale of the tragedy.

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The injury does not matter. At least I survived.