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Nepal Flood Survivors Recall Split-Second Choices and Devastating Loss
A sudden flood hit Nepal while pilgrims were traveling by bus.
Badri Prasad Devkota jumped from the bus and survived.
His wife stayed on the bus and was later reported missing.
Other passengers also escaped by jumping into the hillside.
Santaman Lama survived because someone warned him that the river was rising.
He helped his family move to higher ground.
The flood swept away his house, shop, and belongings.
Many people died or disappeared, and survivors are now trying to rebuild their lives.
Badri Prasad Devkota survived by jumping from a bus swept by floodwaters near Bhainse.
Devkota’s wife and 28 other pilgrims remained missing after the bus disappeared.
Six passengers survived by jumping and later received help in Hilekharka village.
Santaman Lama’s family reached higher ground after a warning, but floodwaters destroyed their home and shop.
The August 26 floods killed hundreds and left thousands searching for missing relatives.
- Who
- Pilgrims traveling to Gosainkunda, including Badri Prasad Devkota, and residents such as Santaman Lama.
- What
- Floodwaters swept away a bus, homes, shops, and other property, while some people survived and many remained missing.
- Where
- Near Bhainse in Nuwakot and Betrawati, Nepal; the pilgrims were traveling toward Gosainkunda in Rasuwa district.
- When
- August 26; Devkota and his cousin returned to the flood site the following day.
- Why
- The Bhotekoshi flood surged across roads and through communities, destroying buildings and carrying people and vehicles away.
Key facts
- Flood date
- August 26
- Bus passengers
- Devkota, his wife, and 34 other pilgrims were aboard the bus.
- Bus-group status
- Two bodies had been recovered, 28 people were missing, and six passengers survived by jumping.
- Destination
- Gosainkunda, a Hindu holy site in Nepal’s Rasuwa district.
- Devkota’s escape
- He jumped from the moving bus, landed in a roadside drain, and clung to hillside vegetation.
- Lama family
- Lama’s children were confirmed safe through their school.
- Damage in Betrawati
- Floodwaters swept away Lama’s house, shop, and almost everything he owned.
Quotes
Badri Prasad Devkota
A pilgrim who escaped a flood-swamped bus in Nuwakot
“We will die here.”
m.rediff.com
“Do not jump.”
m.rediff.com
Santaman Lama
A flood survivor whose house and shop were destroyed in Betrawati
“I have nothing to eat or nowhere to stay. That was everything I had.”
m.rediff.com
Sources
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