Uttarakhand Flood Disaster: Emotional Calls and Nepali Families Missing

 

On August 5, a sudden flood and landslide hit Dharali village in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, India, causing many deaths and damaging homes. Rescue and relief work is still going on.

Kali Devi and her husband Bijay Singh, who had gone there for work, shared their frightening experience with an Indian news site. They managed to survive, but many others, including Nepali workers, were caught and swept away by the flood.

Bijay Singh remembered a phone call with his son just before the disaster. His son said, “Father, I don’t think we will survive; there is a big flood here.”

Singh was part of a group of 26 Nepali workers building roads and bridges in India. They had left their children behind at their work site before going to work.

Devi said they never expected such a disaster. “If I had known about the flood, I would not have left my children there.”

She asked the government to let them go to the Harshil valley area affected by the landslide so they can search for their children themselves.

Their home addresses in Nepal are unknown. Indian media said they are Nepali citizens, but no details about their Nepal address have been confirmed yet.

An Indian journalist, Saurabh Sharma, who went to cover the news, said Devi and Singh told him they are Nepali. Sharma shared a video where Devi said, “We were 26 Nepalis. My son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter were in that group. They were all swept away.”

Situation of Nepali Citizens

Nepalese officials say at least 17 Nepalis have been affected by the Uttarakhand flood and landslide. Thirteen are from Jajarkot, four from Bardiya, and one from Jumla is missing.

Harichandra Basnet, chairman of Kushe Rural Municipality in Jajarkot, said several Nepalis from Talegaun 2 — including Karna Bahadur Singh, Ram Bahadur Singh, Nim Singh, Robin Singh, and others — have been affected.

Surendra Paudel, Chief District Officer, said that four people from Madhuwan, Bardiya — Narendra Khadka, Saraswati Khadka, Amrita Pariyar, and Subas Bik — are missing after the flood.

Janak Bahadur Shahi from Tila Rural Municipality in Jumla is also reported missing because of the landslide.

Local officials have informed Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and requested help with searching and rescuing the missing Nepalis.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who returned from Turkmenistan today, said on Facebook that diplomatic efforts through the Nepalese embassy in India are underway to check on Nepalis and help rescue them.

Indian news reports say the flood destroyed roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, making air rescue the only option. Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said about 300 people have been airlifted from the affected areas.

So far, at least 70 people have been rescued alive, and 6 bodies have been found. Officials estimate around 150 people are still missing.

The Indian Army said a junior officer and eight soldiers are missing. Nine injured soldiers and three civilians were flown to Dehradun for treatment.

Three seriously injured civilians were taken by ambulance to AIIMS Rishikesh hospital, and eight others are being treated at Uttarkashi district hospital.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First National Bamboo Conference Happening Now

KHOTANG, February 28 – The First National Bamboo Conference is currently being held in Diktel Bazaar, running from February 27 to March 1. The event was officially opened at the Khotang Multi-Purpose Covered Hall, and an exhibition showcasing various bamboo products is taking place nearby at the Matikore playground. The event is organized mainly by Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi Municipality. Even the welcome gate and stage at the venue are built using bamboo. The exhibition features 51 stalls displaying items made from bamboo, along with local agricultural products. Mayor Tirtha Raj Bhattarai shared that traditional Nepali bamboo swings—lingle ping and rote ping—have been set up for entertainment. Over 300 guests from outside the district are attending the conference. During the event, bamboo experts will present 23 papers under the theme: “Where there is bamboo, there is life; where there is life, there is bamboo.” Other co-organizers include the Forest Research and Training Centre (Bab...
Read more

Gold prices keep going up

  Kathmandu, June 18 — Gold prices have been rising in the international market since June 10, and this has also pushed up prices in Nepal. When the market opened today, the price of gold had gone up by Rs 900 per tola (11.66 grams) compared to Tuesday, while silver rose by Rs 65 per tola. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, gold is now being traded at Rs 195,500 per tola, and silver at Rs 2,225 per tola. International reports show that gold is currently priced at 3,393 US dollars per ounce in the global market.
Read more

Dengue cases are spreading rapidly in Chitwan.

Narayangadh (Chitwan), July 20 In the fiscal year 2024/25, a total of 3,889 people were confirmed to have dengue in Chitwan district. According to the Public Health Office, 3,020 of these cases were local residents—1,548 men and 1,472 women. The remaining 869 cases involved people from other districts—412 men and 457 women. Bharatpur Metropolitan City recorded the highest number of cases with 1,171 infections, while Madi Municipality had the fewest, with just 37 cases. One person died from the disease during the year. A total of 17,353 dengue tests were conducted throughout the year. Ram KC, a Vector Control Inspector at the Public Health Office, mentioned that the previous year had 1,831 confirmed cases out of 23,840 tests. Dengue was first detected in Nepal in 2004, in a Japanese tourist visiting Chitwan. The Public Health Office emphasized that the best way to prevent dengue is by protecting yourself from mosquito bites.
Read more