Amid the devastation caused by catastrophic flash floods in Nepal, stories of extraordinary survival are offering a rare glimpse of hope.
One of the most remarkable rescues involved 97-year-old Guna Maya Bohara, who was found alive beneath the rubble of the care home where she had been staying. Rescue teams spent around four hours clearing the debris before pulling her to safety. She is now recovering in hospital.
Her great-nephew Dipak Bohara described her as looking like “a warrior” who had returned victorious from battle after surviving the ordeal.
Survivors flee as villages disappear
The floods struck suddenly across parts of Nepal near the China border, leaving residents with little time to escape.
Raju Budhathoki, a customs agent in Timure, said the ground began shaking as if an earthquake had struck. He rushed outside and eventually climbed about 500 metres uphill into a forest, where he found safety.
From the hillside, he watched houses being swept away by the raging waters. He later described the experience as receiving what felt like a “second chance at life.”
Surviving the night on noodles
Another customs agent, Prakash Gautam, also escaped into the forest after hearing a huge rumbling sound.
With rescue teams unable to reach him immediately, Gautam and other survivors spent the night in the forest. They survived on packets of noodles dropped by a Nepali Army helicopter.
An Army helicopter eventually arrived around 10 a.m. the following day and transported them to safety. Gautam said it was only after boarding the helicopter that he truly felt he had survived the disaster.
A disaster that struck without warning
Other survivors have described being swept away by torrents of mud and water, thrown against hillsides or forced to flee without knowing where they were going.
In one case, Tulsi Bahadur Bhandari survived after the force of the flood pushed him towards a hillside. He later said that if the current had not thrown him towards the slope, he might not have survived.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sujal Thapa was rescued after being swept several metres from his home. He suffered injuries to his leg, head and fingers, while his house was washed away. His mother remained missing as he recovered in hospital.
Nepal's rescue operation continues
The survival stories are emerging as rescue teams continue searching devastated communities.
By Saturday, the combined death toll in Nepal and Tibet had reached 676, while nearly 3,000 people remained missing, according to updated reports. More than 3,700 people had been rescued in Nepal.
The scale of destruction has made rescue operations extremely difficult, with damaged roads, bridges, steep terrain and the continuing threat of further flooding slowing efforts.
For families still waiting for news of missing relatives, every survivor rescued from the rubble, forests and floodwaters represents a small but powerful sign of hope.
