Precarious Rescues over Muddy Waters; Death Toll Exceeds 1,200

[Anchor]

The situation remains critical for residents who narrowly survived the massive floods. With dozens of bridges connecting mountain villages in canyon areas washed out, residents are escaping isolated villages relying on a single zipline. The death toll continues to rise, surpassing 1,200.

Reporting by Yu Deok-gi.

[Reporter]

Muddy torrents rushing down from the high Himalayas swept rapidly through the canyons, ruthlessly swallowing large and small bridges connecting villages.

The floods have washed away or damaged a total of 45 bridges in the Trishuli River area.

Rescue authorities even installed ziplines at five locations to rescue residents isolated across various areas.

Over the surging muddy river, a small cage barely large enough for two adults is hung from a single steel cable, and soldiers pull the rope manually without a motorized device to move it.

[Surendra Tamang / Flood-Affected Resident: "It is terrifying (to ride the zipline). But my home is (across the river), and all my family members are there."]

However, with so many bridges and roads cut off, about 3,700 households and roughly 14,000 people remain isolated.

[Sarita / Flood-Affected Resident: "No food is coming. No cars are coming. The roads are closed, and we are all facing great hardship."]

Even residents who evacuated and returned to their home villages find it difficult to take a single step as their living spaces are filled with mud.

They dig through the debris with their bare hands, hoping to salvage even a single remaining belonging from their devastatingly destroyed homes.

[Flood-Affected Resident: "I haven't been able to return home since the flood. I just look across at my house from the riverside. I cannot cross over."]

On the eighth day since the massive floods, the combined death toll in Nepal and China has exceeded 1,200, and the number of missing persons has risen to 4,700.

The Nepalese government estimates that about 5 percent of Nepal's entire population, or roughly 1.6 million people, have been directly or indirectly affected by the massive floods.

(Video editing: Cho Mu-hwan, Source: X @rizwanace)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.