“사망자가 너무 빨리 들어와요”…진흙밭에 잠긴 네팔 수해 현장

"Too many casualties entering too quickly..." Those haunting words echoed on the day of the devastating flood in Nepal's Nuwakot District. Thick mud flows, churned with debris and reports of bodies, thundered down the river from the source. The river, once a serene entity, had turned into a gaping maw of destruction, carrying away lives like sand before a raging tide.

At the verge of Nuwakot's submerge, just hours after the news reached, the team from Korean newspaper 'Hankyoreh' arrived at the village of Dungeshwori, barely having covered a guided path of three hours. The sheer volume of water made a deafening noise, drowning the earlier scream of the earthquake.

Nineteen-year-old Mr. Kumar from Kathmandu was among the 9 Japanese nationals missing, having disappeared in the UT-1 (Upper Turbidity-1) Hydroelectric Power Plant site, 20 kilometers south of the Dungeshwari. The first house facing the river stood as a grim testament to the flood, with the lower half of its structure buried in the thick mud.

The aftermath of the disaster revealed a city that had vanished overnight, submerged under a carpet of mud. Even a two-story house appeared as a single-storey home, its lower part engulfed in the thick mud. The ground beneath seemed solid at first glance, yet with every step, it would give way, sucking the feet down. One survivor, Yuushuman Gurkhe (23), working with the Nepalese Scouts, warned of the danger lurking beneath.

"The mud seeps into your body like quicksand. I'm sending people back who try to retrieve even the simplest tools," he said. The situation in Dungeshwari was even worse. Houses were half-buried in mud, shattered wood and glass littered the streets, and the pungent smell of death hung heavy in the air. Amid the rubble, a motorbike trapped in the mud was pulled out, while a rescue team was seen carrying a rescued person on their shoulders.

Mr. Chhetra Charak, 54, painstakingly cleaned debris from the half-buried house. He had built his home over 15 years, yet finding intact possessions in the debris was a Herculean task. "I didn't believe the flood warnings. My wife managed to escape with her life," he admitted, adding, "Tomorrow was supposed to be the 'Jatra' festival under the full moon, but now it has all disappeared."

The emptied markets and vacant shops in the village were stark reminders of the flood's fury. Meanwhile, the elementary school in nearby Vinudur was full of displaced families. Five-year-old Sonali Parari, clutching her father's hand, recounted how her family made a living by collecting sand for the construction site along the river.

"On that day, I worked until 9 in the morning, returned home, and had a meal with my husband and child. Then, I was suddenly asked to evacuate. When I looked back, my house was being swallowed by the flood." The villagers who managed to escape the flood were now seeking refuge at the makeshift shelter in Vinudur, where many had lost their loved ones.

The injured and bereaved were rushed to the largest hospital in Kathmandu, Triveni Teaching Hospital, while the people of Nuwakot and Rasuwa waited anxiously for news of their missing relatives.