Nepal Flood Survivors Make Perilous Journey Across River by Zipline
High above the swollen Trishuli river, flood survivors gripped a makeshift cable as Nepali soldiers and local residents pulled them to safety on Wednesday, a week after one of the country’s worst natural disasters.
The Nepal Army installed a roughly 250-meter temporary cable crossing in Bidur, offering a precarious but vital lifeline across the river after devastating floods swept away roads and bridges throughout the region. Desperate residents gathered along the riverbank, waiting their turn to be hauled across, while those in urgent need of medical treatment, medicine, food, and other essentials were prioritized for the crossing.
“My home was taken by the floods, and my family is in a shelter,” said Sujan, a 44-year-old chef from Amsterdam who returned to Nepal after the disaster struck on August 26, providing only one name. Unable to secure a helicopter, he made his way to the river crossing hoping to reach his wife, two children, and elderly mother on the other side.
The catastrophic flooding has killed more than 1,200 people and left nearly 4,800 missing across Nepal and China’s Tibet region. Rescuers continue searching for survivors and victims, with helicopters delivering food, temporary shelters, and medicine to those left with almost nothing.
Devi Maji, 31, arrived at the zipline with her three-year-old son after becoming stranded in Trishuli. “I want to get back to my village to see my husband and my other two children,” said the daily wage worker.
For Bhishma Bhatta, 40, there was no time to spare. His mother, Tulkumaari, developed severe breathing difficulties overnight, and the family ran out of oxygen. “We somehow managed to get her on the zipline… and take her to hospital,” he said.
The army said the crossing marks the first of five temporary cable links planned along the flood-affected Trishuli River.
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