Nepali man mourns more than 100 friends and neighbours swept away in floods

A Nepali man residing in Dubai is devastated by the loss of over 100 friends and neighbors who perished in the devastating floods that struck his hometown. Ram Kumar Rijal recalls cherished memories of his friends and colleagues from the bustling market of Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district, which was ravaged by the disaster's fury.

The Dubai resident also lost his nephew, who worked at a hydropower plant, among a dozen others still reported missing. Through messages and phone calls with his family, Rijal learned about the scale of the tragedy as his wife, two sons, and granddaughter managed to escape to higher ground. With grief weighing on him, Rijal questioned how he could comfort his friends when he had none himself.

The floods, triggered by a glacial collapse, claimed more than 1,200 lives and left over 4,200 people missing. In Rijal's community, the surge swept away farmers, shop owners, and families separated by bridges that connected the district. Heroic acts emerged from the tragedy, such as Rajendra Dawadi, a former classmate of Rijal, who ensured the safety of 900 children before the floodwaters breached the school in Trishuli Valley.

However, the principal and the school bell ringer, who had served the community for 45 years, lost their lives. Social media was flooded with images of residents standing on bridges as the river approached, with many dismissing flood warnings due to a smaller disaster the previous year. Rijal laments the loss of his family's rice plot and his small cup manufacturing unit.

With no means of retrieving the bodies from the debris, his community is left in profound sorrow. Rijal, who previously worked as a bus driver in Dubai for 11 years, now seeks to offer solace to his grieving friends, urging them to hold onto hope for rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of the catastrophe.