Exhausted and carrying borrowed money, a father from Nepal’s Saptari district is walking through flood-ravaged areas in a desperate search for his 19-year-old son, who has been missing since devastating flash floods hit northern Nepal.
A desperate journey to find his only son
Talka Sada last spoke to his son Vinod shortly before the August 26 floods. The 19-year-old had travelled to Rasuwa about a month earlier to work as a labourer at a hydropower project, where he carried out jobs including mixing cement.
Vinod was among several young workers reported missing after the Bhotekoshi river floods destroyed homes, bridges and infrastructure in the region. Four other workers, aged between 17 and 19, are also missing.
Sada travelled from Saptari to Kathmandu with his brother, using borrowed money. They visited hospitals and mortuaries looking for Vinod among survivors and victims brought to the capital. However, they found no information about him.
With little money left, the brothers continued towards Nuwakot and Trishuli, travelling closer to the hydropower project where Vinod had been working.
Broken roads and dwindling money add to the pain
The journey has been difficult as roads remain damaged and areas are covered in mud and debris. Sada said he had less than 2,000 Nepali rupees left after borrowing money to travel and feared being unable to afford another night’s stay.
Despite exhaustion and hunger, he continues searching for his son.
Family seeks help amid claims of being ignored
Sada and his brother say they have approached police stations, hospitals and military camps seeking access to information about missing people and recovered bodies.
Sada, who belongs to the Musahar community of the Terai, believes poverty and his Madhesi identity have made it harder to receive assistance. He said his family simply wants the opportunity to identify Vinod if he is among those recovered.
The search comes as rescue teams continue operations in northern Nepal following the deadly floods and landslides. For families like Sada’s, the disaster has brought not only loss and uncertainty but an agonising wait for answers.