Villages erased, valleys reshaped: Flying over Nepal’s flood disaster zone

More than a week after the Aug. 26 floods, helicopters remain the only way to reach some of the high-altitude villages devastated along Nepal’s Trishuli River. From the air, the destruction runs from one valley to the next, with entire stretches of settlements and infrastructure washed away.

Nepal’s official figures on Sept. 3 listed 1,252 deaths and 4,216 people still unaccounted for. Rescuers continued searching tunnel projects along the river, where hundreds of workers could still be alive underground. Near Timure, teams were still pulling bodies from the mud and transporting them by helicopter.

The Trishuli corridor is one of Nepal’s major hydropower areas. Steep terrain and powerful Himalayan rivers have drawn billions of dollars in investment, but projects, access roads and workers’ camps were built along riverbanks that now lie in the flood’s path.

Near the Chinese border, the town of Rasuwagadhi lost the customs yard and dry port that supported Nepal’s busiest overland trade route with China. The flood destroyed the infrastructure and severed the crossing.

About 15 kilometers south of the border, Syabru Besi has also been transformed. Once a gateway to the Langtang trekking region and a stop for travelers and pilgrims heading toward Tibet, the riverside settlement now receives helicopters carrying rescue teams from Nepal and India. About 80 percent of its roughly 250 houses and hotels are gone. A Nepali army official said about 200 local residents were dead or missing, along with 400 other people, including foreigners.