A week after catastrophic flash floods tore through Nepal, survivors sheltering in temporary camps have begun recounting the scale of destruction — describing entire villages erased within minutes and communities reduced to near-total loss. The disaster, which struck in late August 2024, is being described as one of the worst natural calamities to hit the Himalayan nation in over a decade.

Survivors Describe the Scale of Loss

A man now living in a temporary shelter at a monastery in Mustang, who was rescued from Timure, said the toll on his village has been catastrophic. 'In our village, among the local population, nearly 200 people are untraceable and missing. Around 80 per cent are missing; only 20 per cent of us are here,' he said. He noted that some residents who had been living outside the village — in Kathmandu or elsewhere — were spared. 'Thousands of people have died or gone missing. The situation is extremely dire right now,' he added.

He described how the flood struck without warning during an ordinary afternoon. 'People were carrying out their regular routine when the flood struck; it was so huge that the entire village got swept away within two minutes...around eight to ten people could be rescued from there, the rest all were swept away,' he said. He appealed to national and international organisations for aid, saying: 'We have come to a zero level...our house, source of livelihood, everything is gone.'

Trishuli: Houses and Shops Submerged to the Fifth Floor

In Trishuli, identified as one of the worst-hit areas, a local resident said floodwaters rose high enough to inundate his building up to the fifth storey. 'My house was located here, but everything is completely destroyed. Water entered up to the fifth story and ruined everything. All the goods in my shop were washed away,' he said. He added that relief materials have since arrived and are reaching people in the area, offering some measure of relief.

Communication Lines Down, Restoration Underway

The floods severed internet and telephone connections across affected zones, cutting off families in Nepal and abroad from news of their loved ones. A telecom technician deployed by Nepal Telecom to restore services in Trishuli said the damage was extensive. 'Everything is completely destroyed, so we came from Nepal Telecom to restore internet connections. We don't have detailed information on how much damage occurred overall as we just arrived recently,' he said.

He estimated that equipment worth approximately Rs 6 to 7 lakh had been destroyed. Connectivity in Trishuli is expected to be restored within a day or two, but for communities further upstream, restoration could take at least three days or more, he cautioned, adding that an exact timeframe could not yet be given.

One of Nepal's Worst Disasters in a Decade

Nepal is no stranger to seasonal flooding, but the scale of this event — with entire villages wiped out and thousands unaccounted for — has placed it among the most severe disasters the country has faced in recent memory. The remote topography of affected areas such as Timure and Trishuli has complicated rescue and relief operations, with many communities accessible only after significant effort. Aid organisations, both domestic and international, have been urged by survivors to scale up their response immediately.

As relief efforts continue, the full human and infrastructural toll remains unclear, with communication blackouts hampering damage assessments across the hardest-hit zones.