Kathmandu: Five-year-old Ishara Tamang lies in a hospital bed in Kathmandu, injured and separated from her family after surviving the devastating flash floods that swept through Rasuwa district along the Nepal-Tibet border.
Ishara was rescued from floodwaters in Khalte village after becoming trapped in a net. When she regained consciousness, she was able to tell hospital staff her name and said her father was in Kathmandu.
“Mother was swept away,” Ishara reportedly told hospital staff, describing how she was carried away by the flood before becoming trapped.
Child rescued from raging floodwaters
Ishara was with her mother when the flood struck on August 26. She was swept away by the water before becoming caught in a net, where rescuers eventually found her and brought her to safety.
Her mother’s whereabouts remain unknown, and Ishara was alone in hospital without a family member when she recovered.
Another child found alive under rubble
In a separate rescue operation in Timure, an Armed Police Force team searching the remains of a collapsed security post heard a child crying beneath the debris.
The rescuers dug through the wreckage and found a six-year-old girl alive. She was taken to a border outpost, although bad weather prevented her immediate evacuation to a hospital.
Survivors face loss and uncertainty
The floods have left widespread destruction across northern and central Nepal. The death toll had crossed 700 by Sunday, while around 2,500 people remained missing, according to the source material.
At hospitals, families have been gathering with photographs and details of missing relatives as rescue teams continue searching through mud and debris.
Businessman Nischal Tripathi, who was in Timure when floodwaters and mud surged through the settlement, escaped by running towards the mountainside before spending the night with others in the forest.
The struggle continues after survival
Other survivors are facing the loss of homes, livelihoods and access to essential supplies. Rekha Devi Gosain of Trishuli Bazaar reportedly lost her home, four shops, vehicle and other belongings. She also went without her regular medicines after they were swept away.
For people rescued from floodwaters, rubble and isolated areas, survival has been only the beginning of another difficult journey. For thousands of families still waiting, the search for missing loved ones continues.