Indians rescued from flood-ravaged Nepal on Saturday, 29 August described scenes of extraordinary devastation — walls of water rising 20 feet, roads swallowed whole, bridges washed away, and companions who simply vanished in the chaos. Survivors from Bihar, Maharashtra, Chennai, and Nagpur recounted their ordeals after being evacuated from the Himalayan nation, many saying they owe their lives to split-second decisions to run.

Migrant Workers from Bihar: 'Three of Our People Went Missing'

Migrant labourers from Bettiah, Bihar, who had been working in Nepal, described the flash floods as 'unimaginable' upon returning to their hometown. One labourer recounted: 'There were five to seven of us, three of our people went missing...There was a lot of water in the area, rising up to 20 feet. We took our children and ran up the hill. After an hour, when the water level receded, we went to look for them, but we could not find the three people.'

A younger survivor described the terrifying speed of the disaster. 'At around 9:30 a.m., I heard a lot of noise. I went outside to see what was happening, but I could only see dust. Moments later, I saw that there was a lot of water due to the storm...immediately I alerted the people inside. We then ran towards higher terrain but three others were left behind,' he said. 'After we came down, there was no trace of any humans nor our house.'

A third worker added: 'We got up after hearing about the massive flow of water and despite being barefoot, we started running uphill...when we came down after an hour to search for our people, they were nowhere to be found.'

Chennai Pilgrim Climbed a Tree to Survive

In Chennai, a woman who had been on a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar returned safely after a harrowing ordeal near the China-Nepal border. Her son-in-law said she had reached Kathmandu on 24 August and was due to visit Mansarovar on the 26th. 'Along with her there were 21 people in the bus when the disaster struck, while they were nearing the immigration office at the China-Nepal border,' he said.

'They were unable to breathe or talk...the driver ran away, they then came down from the bus, (my mother-in-law) climbed a tree and stayed there for three to four hours. After that, they were rescued by Nepal military personnel,' he added. Another Chennai resident who returned safely credited government intervention: 'The government had initiated steps for taking us to Kathmandu. Later, the ambassador met and consoled us and we were provided food and stay. The following day, we were allowed to move to the airport.'

Maharashtra Tourists: Roads Blocked, Bridges Gone

The first batch of 106 stranded Maharashtra tourists reached India and expressed relief and gratitude toward both Indian and Nepalese authorities. A woman from Nagpur said: 'We were constantly worried about whether or not we would make it out of there alive...Initially, we did not listen because there were 106 people with us, and we wanted to leave together...but after the situation escalated, we agreed to board the flight. Even though we didn't have the required documents, the (Nepal) administration helped us a lot.'

Another passenger described the deteriorating conditions: 'We were fine for about seven or eight days. But then the situation changed...the police stopped us and our vehicles could not proceed because of the disaster. The roads were blocked and bridges had been washed away.' He thanked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for making arrangements to bring them back.

Scale of the Crisis and What Lies Ahead

The floods have affected multiple regions of Nepal, cutting off roads and communication links that connect remote communities to urban centres. The accounts from Indian survivors point to the speed and ferocity of the flash floods — conditions that left little time for organised evacuation. Notably, several survivors mentioned that companions remain unaccounted for, suggesting the human toll may not yet be fully known.

Indian diplomatic missions in Kathmandu have been coordinating evacuations, and state governments including Maharashtra have activated emergency response mechanisms. As rescue operations continue, the focus is now shifting to locating those still missing and restoring essential supply routes into the affected zones.