Nepal floods: Reporter’s diary, August 27, 2026

August 31, 2026

Photojournalist Suman Nepali traveled to Nepal's Rasuwa district following a devastating flash flood that swept through riverside towns, killing numerous residents and destroying entire communities. Upon arrival, he encountered traumatized child survivors, including five-year-old Kirti Tamang who watched her mother and sister drown, and injured student Biswas Tamang whose school ID enabled rescuers to contact his mother. The journalist found himself emotionally overwhelmed by the destruction and loss of life, struggling to photograph the disaster scene as he witnessed grieving families searching for missing relatives among the bodies and debris.

Who is affected

Five-year-old Kirti Tamang (survivor who lost her mother and sister)
Biswas Tamang (injured student survivor)
Biswas's mother (lives in neighboring district)
A 35-year-old woman (deceased, identified by her husband)
Residents of Trisuli Bazar, Devighat, and Betrawati (towns destroyed)
Women, children, and elderly villagers (disproportionately affected due to male outmigration)
Chinese hydropower plant workers (some missing)
School teachers who found Biswas
A Ward Chair who lost colleagues
Thousands of families who lost relatives, homes, fields, livestock, and property

What action is being taken

School teachers are using Biswas's school ID information to contact his mother
A Ward Chair is making a list of survivors
Army trucks are bringing supplies to the area
Helicopters are flying back and forth throughout the day
Local volunteers are preparing to transport Biswas by motorbike to reunite him with his mother
People are searching along muddy riverbanks for signs of relatives carried away by the flood
Survivors are attempting to locate where their homes used to be

Why it matters

This disaster represents a catastrophe of enormous proportions that exceeds the capacity of even well-resourced relief organizations to address effectively. Beyond being a national calamity, it represents thousands of individual family tragedies, with most victims likely being women and children due to the mass outmigration of working-age men from rural areas. The scale of trauma extends beyond immediate physical needs—survivors must grapple with witnessing the deaths of family members and the complete loss of their communities, homes, and livelihoods. The journalist himself describes it as more devastating than the 2015 earthquake he covered, emphasizing its profound psychological and existential impact on both victims and witnesses.

What's next

Local volunteers are preparing to reunite Biswas with his mother by motorcycle.

Read full article from source: Global Voices