Nepal floods: Bihar man recounts ordeal after Nepal Army rescues him, 7 family members

Thakur, along with seven members of his family, was rescued from the upper reaches of Trishuli by the Nepal Army on Wednesday. The family was evacuated by helicopter and brought to a safe location.

By Ajit Jha Ganesh Thakur, a resident of Motihari district in Bihar, is among the fortunate Indian citizens who managed to survive the devastating floods in Nepal.

Thakur, along with seven members of his family, was rescued from the upper reaches of Trishuli by the Nepal Army on Wednesday. The family was evacuated by helicopter and brought to a safe location. Speaking to ANI, Thakur recounted his harrowing experience and shared his eyewitness account of the devastation caused by the floods.

Thakur said that the situation around him was extremely dangerous and that several people living in the area lost their lives in the disaster. He said the scale of destruction was difficult to comprehend, with families desperately searching for their loved ones and survivors struggling to reach safer areas.

Thakur expressed gratitude to the Nepal Army for rescuing him and his family and bringing them to safety. The death toll from the catastrophic Rasuwa Bhote Koshi flash floods has risen to 675, with emergency teams recovering bodies and human remains across multiple downstream districts, according to the latest updates released by Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

As of 6:30 PM, a total of 2,418 individuals remain missing or out of contact following the deluge. Chitwan district has recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 246 bodies retrieved, followed by Nawalparasi East with 165, Nawalparasi West with 63, Gorkha with 57, Nuwakot with 51, Dhading with 45, Tanahun with 35, and Rasuwa with 13. Medical teams have also treated or discharged 219 injured survivors across the impacted regions.

The NDRRMA reported that the missing include 933 workers from underground hydropower projects, 589 foreign citizens, and 127 Nepalis who were travelling alongside foreign tourists. In addition, 104 security and government officials, comprising 45 Nepal Army personnel, 27 Nepal Police officers, 15 Customs staff, 13 Armed Police Force members, and 4 Immigration personnel, remain unaccounted for. Geographically, missing person reports are concentrated heavily in Rasuwa with 562, Nuwakot with 115, Makwanpur with 65, and Langtang National Park with 3. To manage the ongoing operations and locate the missing, 18,708 security personnel have been deployed to the disaster zone, including 8,135 Nepal Police, 6,370 Nepal Army, and 4,203 Armed Police Force members. Air and ground operations have successfully rescued 7,514 people so far. The Nepali Army and private helicopters have completed 261 sorties, airlifting 227 foreign nationals to safety and rescuing 279 workers from flooded hydropower tunnels over the past two days.

Restoration efforts for critical infrastructure are progressing, with technicians restoring 145 out of 198 damaged telephone towers, while an automated flood monitoring station has been established at Galchi. (ANI)