“I am unable to focus on my studies. My family is safe in Kathmandu, but some of my relatives live near the border of the affected area, and we are worried about them,” said Bikas, a Delhi University student from Nepal, as he continuously checked his phone for updates on the devastating flash floods back home.
The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River, affecting Rasuwa and Dhading districts bordering Tibet. The floodwaters later spread to Nuwakot and Chitwan, damaging at least four permanent bridges and several temporary ones. Track live updates on Nepal floods
While many students’ immediate families are safe in Kathmandu, they expressed concern for relatives living closer to the affected areas and relied on updates from their families.
“My family lives in Kathmandu, so they are safe, but some of my relatives live near the border of the area where the flooding has occurred. They are not exactly in the affected region, but we are still worried because the situation is uncertain,” said Suyog Bansal, a DU student from Nepal.
Another student, Nitya from JNU, said her family in Kathmandu informed her that her brother’s friend is missing and they are trying to connect with him.
“My brother’s friend had gone near the area that is flood-affected, and my brother told me that he’s not able to connect with him. My family in Kathmandu has been in touch with his family and updating me. We are all worried because we do not know how the situation will develop,” she said.
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The students noted that being away from home made the situation more challenging, particularly as they depended on phone calls and messages for information.
“Whenever there is news of a flood, the first thing I do is call my family. They tell me that everyone is fine, but it is still difficult to concentrate on studies when you know your relatives are living close to an affected area,” said Bikas.
A fourth-year student mentioned that Nepali students on the DU campus had been checking on one another and discussing the situation.
“Most of us have our families in different parts of Nepal that are not affected, but many also have relatives in the impacted areas. We keep sharing updates and checking to see if everyone is safe. Even if our own families are not affected, we are naturally concerned because something like this has happened in our country, and seeing videos on social media of the flood sweeping away people gives us chills,” he said.
The flash floods, triggered after an ice-rock landslide blocked a river near the Nepal-China border, have affected several districts and left nearly 826 people missing, according to Nepal’s disaster management authorities.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that two hundred and eighty-eight Indians remain missing.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the missing Indians included those working on hydropower projects and tourist groups. Twenty-one Indians from Tamil Nadu were rescued, he said.
The death toll on Thursday rose to 270, as authorities in Nepal raced against time to find thousands of missing people.
The flash floods have caused extensive damage to bridges and roads, and several major highways remain blocked.
