Border between China and Nepal experienced a large-scale mudslide and flash flood on August 26. A Nepalese woman in her 60s, Chandika Kumari Shrestha, was believed to have perished by her family and they even began mourning rituals for her. However, she miraculously survived amidst the ruins of her flooded home and was rescued on September 5 (last Saturday). Rescue workers found her in a narrow air pocket and later transferred her to a military hospital in the capital city, Kathmandu, for treatment.
When Chandika Kumari Shrestha, aged 64, was discovered, she had been trapped in the collapsed four-story house in Betrawati for 11 days. She managed to survive in the minimal air space among water and mud, and after rescue workers heard her cries for help, a 45-minute rescue operation ensued.
Local police officer Mahendra Darnal stated, “The four-story house was washed away by the flood and its remnants were buried in quicksand. When we were inspecting the house, we heard someone shouting for help.”
Rescuers extracted Shrestha, gave her clean water to drink, and then airlifted her to the military hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.
Darnal added that he had been in constant contact with her family, who had already begun mourning rituals for her. Chandika Kumari Shrestha’s husband is still missing.
Apart from Shrestha, some others also miraculously survived in extremely harsh conditions. During the flood, 8-year-old Zoyal Ghale from Rasuwa County rushed out of a classroom, ran to the nearby forest, climbed a tall tree to take refuge, and managed to escape the catastrophe. He has since reunited with his mother, Matti Maya Tamang.
Shrestha, who was rescued this time, was one of the hundreds of missing persons in Betrawati, which is one of the heavily affected areas. The ground is covered with thick, cement-like white sediment, making it challenging for search and rescue teams to dig and locate survivors.
The flood swept through the valley region, burying numerous markets and residential buildings under debris. Currently, the death toll in Nepal has surpassed 1,300, with nearly 5,000 people missing and over 10,000 rescued. Rescuers wearing safety helmets are using shovels to excavate or crawling into collapsed building crevices to signal in hopes of finding remaining survivors.
Rescue teams continue to unearth numerous bodies. Darnal mentioned that five days ago, rescue workers found 24 decomposed bodies inside a small shop in the Betrawati market area.
The flood has carried a large number of victims’ bodies to the banks of the Chitwan River hundreds of kilometers away. Nepalese authorities are conducting mass burials for the deceased, while many families are still desperately searching for missing loved ones.