Express in Nepal | I tried to hold on to my wife’s hand, but water current was so strong: Survivor recounts horror

The recent flash floods in Nepal proved devastating, claiming the lives of many families and leaving others traumatized by the harrowing experience. "I tried to hold on to my wife's hand, but the water current was so strong that I couldn't save her," recounted Shyam Lal Thapa, a 52-year-old farmer from Rasuwa district who lost his wife Gyanu. His son remains missing, while his daughter-in-law continues to stay at the relief camp with him.

For generations, Shyam Lal and his family depended on their paddy fields for livelihood in the border district. When the floods struck, he was airlifted and found only debris and mud around him. Santosh Thapa, a 29-year-old engineer with the Gosaikunda municipality in Rasuwa district, survived because he overslept that day. He witnessed a woman screaming and saw a wall of water heading towards them as the sky turned black.

Another survivor, Om Prakash Tharu, 19, from Bardiya district, was engaged in road-laying work at the Trishuli-1 hydroelectric project when screams and frantic running ensued. He and his uncle, along with other workers, quickly descended the mountains once the waters receded, only to return to higher ground and wait for rescue.