Landslip-hit couple recounts tale of woes

Nepalgunj, September 2:

Nawal Rawal, of Khaptad-6 of Achham, and his wife Bungdi are suffering. Leave aside the shortage of food stuff, the grief of losing Ranga, their 13-year-old daughter, who was swept away by the landslide that occurred on August 26, is unbearable for them.

They have not been able to recover her body. The couple were airlifted the next day an Army helicopter.

Nawal and Bungdi are undergoing treatment in the Bheri zonal hospital.

“The landslide also swept away 25 of my goats, 24 cattle, cultivable land and other goods. Some of my neighbours also suffered the same fate,” Nawal said. As the houses untouched by the landslide were also unsafe, the villagers are planning to leave the village, he said.

Recalling the fateful night, Nawal said: “Our bed got wet all of a sudden. I woke my wife and daughter up. We packed up whatever we could, tried to save cattle in vain.” On that fateful day, they were staying in a shed.

“Thinking it was raining, we were sitting by a fire. A landslide occurred suddenly and swept away my daughter and wife. I found my wife buried neck-deep. With the help of villagers, I managed to take her out,” Nawal said. Bugdi said an Army helicopter rescued them the next day.

“The grief of losing my daughter is unbearable,” she said. The couple is facing a shortage of food items. They are undergoing treatment, thanks to support provided by social organisations. “The government has provided us a safer place to live in,” she said, adding, “We will live somehow.”

“Our son Kisu was safe because he was in the house when the landslide occurred,” Nawal said.