Nepal Floods: Rescuers Describe Sorrow and Devastation in Mountain Villages
In the flood-ravaged valleys of Nepal, relief workers are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe. Thick mud has swallowed entire villages, roads have become treacherous, and the air is heavy with the stench of decomposing bodies. Army camps have been turned into makeshift mortuaries, with ambulances arriving continuously carrying the dead.
The disaster began on Wednesday, August 26, when a section of a Himalayan glacier collapsed near the Nepal-China border. The cascade of ice, rock, and debris surged into the Lhende river system, sweeping through Rasuwa district before moving downstream into Nuwakot and Dhading. By Saturday, August 29, at least 676 people had died in Nepal and Tibet, while nearly 2,400 remained missing. More than 3,700 people had been rescued in Nepal, but large parts of the affected terrain remained inaccessible as roads and bridges had been destroyed.
Volunteers from Khalsa Aid, a humanitarian organisation, have been on the ground for three days. Manohar Naidu, a native of Bengaluru currently in Nuwakot, described the scene. 'Today, if you go, you will not see water. But there is a lot of slush. Buildings are fully submerged in it. Many bodies are buried inside this,' he said. 'Even when we are trying to walk on the sides, we are slipping into the slush. The entire area is now stinking because of all the dead bodies of humans and animals. The situation on the ground is really bad.'
The numbers, however, do little to capture the horror that survivors and rescuers are experiencing. In Rasuwa and Nuwakot, hospital morgues have run out of space, and army camps now serve as temporary mortuaries. Convoys of ambulances bring bodies recovered from the debris, where they are kept pending identification. Outside the tents, families wait in desperation, some standing for hours hoping for news of relatives who disappeared when the flood struck.
Mr. Naidu noted that many families have refused even the hot food offered by volunteers. 'They are not even willing to accept the food that we are offering them. All they want to know is about their loved ones,' he said. Manpreet Singh, a volunteer from Patiala, Punjab, added, 'Those who are with families are still eating a little. Those who have lost their loved ones aren't even willing to eat at all.'
Mr. Singh, who has previously worked during floods in Assam and a cyclone in Tamil Nadu, travelled to Nepal with five other volunteers from Punjab. Their team recently reached Gajuri Bajar in Dhading, where a large market area had been almost completely washed away. 'Locals told us the market was active and full of people when the flood came. A lot of people were washed away and thousands remain missing still,' he said.
The volunteers initially assisted with rescue operations and the identification of bodies alongside the Lions Club. On Saturday, however, authorities informed them that rescue operations would be handled by the army, and external organisations would not be permitted to continue those efforts. Their role has consequently shifted towards relief and support for those waiting at military camps for news of relatives. Khalsa Aid volunteers are now providing hot meals, clothes, and basic medical assistance at relief camps. One camp in Nuwakot is sheltering around 400 people.
Among those they met was a 16-year-old girl who survived because her family received a warning moments before the flood struck. Her father's fate remains unknown, like that of thousands of others. The full scale of the tragedy is still unfolding, but for the families waiting in the slush and the stench, every moment of uncertainty is a deep personal sorrow. The volunteers continue their work, offering what solace they can in the face of overwhelming loss.
