Residents pull a newly installed zipline to help people commute across the Trishuli river in the aftermath of flash floods at Bidur in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, Nepal.
TRISHULI BAZAAR: Two two-year-old girls and a 97-year-old woman emerged at opposite ends of the age spectrum among survivors of Nepal’s Aug 26 flood, which tore through the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli corridor, sweeping away homes, schools, roads and bridges. On the other side was Guna Maya Bohara (97) the oldest documented survivor verified after the disaster.
“She was shaking her head,” he said. That movement told the family she was still alive. Rasik said the scale of destruction made it difficult to know how many remained unaccounted for. “There are so many people like me who are stuck,” he said.
The toddlers were listed as safe in Nepal govt’s survivor database, while the elderly woman survived after spending around eight to nine hours trapped in mud and debris. Their stories have given the embattled country hope that it desperately needs. Floodwater, mud and debris engulfed the care home where she was staying at Kabilash in Nuwakot, leaving her trapped as roads disappeared and rescuers struggled to reach the area. The family’s relief was, however, tempered by the continuing search for relatives and others missing.