Green house becomes symbol of survival after Nepal flood
A decades-old green house left standing amid widespread destruction from Nepal's Trishuli River flood has become an unlikely symbol of survival after its occupants escaped from the upper floors.
Footage from Dhunge Bazaar in Nuwakot district shows raging brown water and debris surrounding the multi-storey building as nearby structures are swept away. The house's lower floors were badly damaged, but its reinforced concrete frame remained standing.
Neighbour Bidhnu Karman said the family was trapped inside for around four hours as floodwater surged around the building.
"They were saying goodbye and waving their hands as if it was the end," he said. "But fortunately, they were lucky to stay alive by God's grace, and the house withstood the floods."
Owners Prakash Pandey Pyakurel and Lakshmi Pandey had been at a nearby shop when the flood approached and rushed back to the house, where relatives were still inside.
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Karman said he lost all his belongings, including decades of savings, but was grateful to have survived. There has been no formal engineering assessment explaining why the house remained standing.
Nepalese authorities said on Friday that 1,287 bodies had been recovered, 5,083 people remained missing and more than 13,000 had been rescued following the August 26 disaster.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
