My Wife Was Buried in the Mud: Nepal Man Heartbreakingly Watched His Wife Swept Away by the Flood — A Story That Makes the Tragedy Even More Devastating Than Ever
Hundreds of people are missing after devastating flash floods across the border of Nepal and China.
The storeys-tall torrent of water swept away buildings, bridges and roads in several villages across the two countries on Wednesday.
Local authorities said 34 Australians are among the hundreds of foreigners missing.
Tour group with 15 Australians unaccounted for
A tour company has confirmed it has lost contact with a tour group, which included Australians, following the flood.
Himalayan Glacier told 7NEWS.com.au that 15 Australians are “unaccounted for so far”.
“Our Nepal team is actively trying to get more updates,” the company said.
It added that teenagers are among those in the missing tour group.
Himalayan Glacier took to social media just an hour prior to announce it was unable to “estabish contact with anyone there” because of damage to communication infrastructure.
“We completely understand how worrying and distressing this uncertainty must be for you and your family, especially with concern surrounding the Kailash Yatra pilgrims who were traveling through the affected region,” the post reads.
“At this moment, we do not want to provide any information that has not been officially confirmed.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all the Kailash Yatra pilgrims, our field team, their families and everyone affected by this disaster.”
DFAT searching for missing Aussies, says Wong
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has provided an update on efforts to find Australians missing in the wake of a flash flood in Nepal.
Wong confirmed at least 34 Australians are missing and are part of different tour groups or pilgrimages travelling through the region when the flood struck.
She added that Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) personnel are being deployed to the region to try provide support to the region.
“The government’s priority is to confirm the whereabouts and welfare of these Australians,” Wong said.
“At this stage, access and information are very limited given the scale of disaster.
“We will do our best, to ascertain whatever information we can.”
However, Wong noted that the “situation is a difficult one”.
Have you or someone you know been impacted?
If you or anyone you know has been impacted by the flood across Nepal and Tibet, feel free to reach out to [email protected].
Tour group with 15 Australians unaccounted for
A tour company has confirmed it has lost contact with a tour group, which included Australians, following the flood.
Himalayan Glacier told 7NEWS.com.au that 15 Australians are “unaccounted for so far”.
“Our Nepal team is actively trying to get more updates,” the company said.
It added that teenagers are among those in the missing tour group.
Himalayan Glacier took to social media just an hour prior to announce it was unable to “estabish contact with anyone there” because of damage to communication infrastructure.
“We completely understand how worrying and distressing this uncertainty must be for you and your family, especially with concern surrounding the Kailash Yatra pilgrims who were traveling through the affected region,” the post reads.
“At this moment, we do not want to provide any information that has not been officially confirmed.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all the Kailash Yatra pilgrims, our field team, their families and everyone affected by this disaster.”
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Husband watches wife get ‘buried’ by flood
A man has recounted watching his wife vanish during the sudden flood before he was saved hours later.
“I was at the terrace and the flood hit the top floor as well. It only subsided after an hour or so,” Keshav Prasad Baral told Reuters from a hospital bed.
“My wife was already buried in the mudslide while we stayed on the terrace for safety.
“After 4-5 hours I was rescued by a helicopter.”
Labourer saved by a mango tree
Nepali labourer Bibek Kumal was digging a toilet pit outside a newly built house on Wednesday when a wall of water, mud and rock came roaring down, sweeping him and everything near him away.
Kumal, 24, was working in Bidur, downstream from the worst-hit Rasuwa district, near Nepal’s Himalayan border with China’s Tibet, when he heard a hissing sound.
His four co-workers, standing above the 1.5m-deep pit, shouted at him to get out and run.
By the time he scrambled out of the pit, his co-workers had already fled.
“I started running. Then a wall of water came thundering down as if it was an earthquake,” Kumal said from his bed at Kathmandu’s National Trauma Centre, his brother Dinesh sitting beside him.
The torrent swept him downstream amid mud and debris, but “luckily I was stuck up in a mango tree”, he said.
“Had there been no mango tree, I would have been washed away to death.”
– Reuters
‘Entire villages’ swept away, Red Cross says
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has revealed the devastating impact the flood has had on local communities.
Head of the IFRC’s Nepal delegation, David Fisher, said the priority is “to reach affected communities and get assistance to people who have lost their homes, suffered injuries or have been cut off”.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to provide additional support if needs increase,” Fisher said.
“We will not forget support for their long-term recovery either, since entire villages and market areas have been wiped out”.
The IFRC will provide aid to Nepal Red Cross teams who have deployed to the region.
That includes distributing drinking water and emergency supplies including tarpaulins, blankets, sleeping mats, first aid kits, stretchers and body bags.
Village demolished by raging flood
Flood waters have slammed into and destroyed dozens of buildings in the town of Betrawati Bazar, northwest of Kathmandu.
Footage posted to social media, and verified by Storyful, shows the sudden flood slam into the town.
Water levels continued to rise above the banks, allowing the torrent to directly impact multi-level buildings.
A number of buildings collapsed just seconds later, with cars and buses being carried inland toward locals running away from the disaster.
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Smartraveller travel advice updated
Australian travellers hoping to reach Nepal and Tibet have been warned to exercise a “high degree of caution”.
Smartraveller, an arm of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on Thursday updated it’s warning for those intending to travel to the area affected by flash floods.
“Major flash flooding and a mudslide in Rasuwa District and the Nepal-China border has caused significant damage. Roads, transport and infrastructure are significantly damaged,” the warning reads.
“There have been a number of deaths and injuries reported.
“Avoid flood affected areas. Monitor local media and follow the instructions of local authorities.”
While issuing an updated warning, Smartraveller kept its travel for tourists in Nepal to “exercise a high degree of caution … due to the risk of road accidents and natural disasters”.
The travel advice for China has also remained the same following the flood, with tourists warned to “Exercise a high degree of caution in China overall”.
Rescuers wade through mud to save man
More footage is being released of rescue teams saving dozens of people injured or stranded by the floods.
One video shows rescuers wading through knee-high mud with victims wrapped around their shoulders in order to bring them to safety.
Others show a helicopter hovering just above a building surrounded by flood waters to grab a young boy, or injured woman being stretched to awaiting rescue teams.
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UN Secretary-General ‘saddened’ by floods
The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has confirmed aid is being provided to the Himalayan nation of Nepal in response to the flooding.
“I am saddened by the severe flooding in Nepal and China, which has claimed many lives, left people missing, and caused widespread destruction,” Guterres said in a post to X.
“I extend my condolences to the families of the victim, and I wish a swift recovery to those injured. My solidarity is with all those affected.
“In Nepal, the UN is supporting the Government-led response.
“UN teams and humanitarian partners are mobilizing supplies and personnel to support communities affected by the floods.”
SOURCE: 7 NEWS
https://7news.com.au/news/nepal-china-flash-flood-penny-wong-issues-statement-as-dozens-of-australians-are-among-the-hundreds-missing-c-22783425
