More than 1,000 people have reportedly died and nearly 4,000 remain missing after devastating floods hit Nepal, with the death count continuing to rise. Amid the destruction, heartbreaking stories are emerging of people who watched helplessly as their loved ones were swept away, leaving families shattered in a matter of moments.ย One such painful account has come from Badri Prasad Devkota, who was travelling with his wife and 34 other people to Gosainkunda — a revered Hindu pilgrimage site in Nepal’s Rasuwa district.
Devkota told The Kathmandu Post that the bus was travelling at high speed when he suddenly saw a massive flow of mud-filled floodwater approaching the vehicle. “My bus was moving at a high speed. During this, I saw the mud-filled floodwater coming towards our bus. My wife was holding my hand at that time. I told my wife that we should jump out of the bus, but she did not jump and told me not to get off the bus. But I explained to her that the floodwater would submerge the bus and we would die. However, my wife did not agree. I then freed my hand from hers and jumped from the moving bus,” he added.
‘The bus carrying my wife sank in the floodwater’
Devkota said that after jumping from the bus, the powerful current of the Bhotekoshi River floodwaters in the Bhainse area of Nuwakot swept him towards a drain. “When I jumped from the bus, the floodwater of the Bhotekoshi River was flowing rapidly in the Bhainse area of Nuwakot. The force of the water carried me into a drain. I managed to survive by holding on to trees and vegetation on the hillside. Right in front of my eyes, the bus in which my wife was travelling was submerged in the floodwater,” he said. The account captures the terrifying moments faced by passengers as floodwaters rapidly engulfed the area, leaving them with little time to react.
Two bodies recovered, 28 people still missing
According to The Kathmandu Post, two bodies have so far been recovered from the group travelling in the bus, while 28 people remain missing. Devkota’s wife is also among those who have not yet been found.ย Devkota continues to search for his wife despite the grim circumstances. Given the manner in which the bus was swept into and submerged by the floodwaters, the chances of finding her alive are considered extremely low. However, any news of her being found safe would be nothing short of a miracle for Devkota and his family.
Nepal floods leave families searching for loved ones
The tragedy involving Devkota’s family is among the many heartbreaking accounts emerging from the flood-hit areas of Nepal. As rescue and search operations continue, families remain desperate for information about relatives who disappeared in the rapidly moving floodwaters.ย For survivors like Devkota, escaping the disaster has brought another painful reality: surviving while continuing to search for a loved one whose fate remains unknown.
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