Devi Ghat was once a lively riverside town, celebrated for its busy marketplace and a revered temple that drew thousands of Hindu pilgrims year after year.
Set along the banks of Nepal’s Trishuli River and framed by green mountain slopes, the town was long admired for its striking natural beauty and its centuries-old shrine perched close to the water.
The temple is dedicated to the goddess Kali, worshipped in the area as the “fierce mother” and traditionally linked with power, destruction and transformation.
On Wednesday morning, that symbolism took on a devastating real-world meaning when a sudden flash flood tore through Devi Ghat, a northern Nepal community near the Tibetan border, leaving death and destruction in its path.
Homes and buildings across the town were swept away as a violent surge of water thundered down the Trishuli River. Some structures vanished entirely, while others now stand shattered, collapsing or buried in heavy mud that rises to broken balconies and rooftops.
It is difficult to walk along what is left of Devi Ghat’s main road without your feet sinking into the filthy slush below. All around, it is a scene of unimaginable Biblical proportions as the stench of dead bodies and animals fills the air.
Rescuers have been unable to search all the homes, with many locals believed to be dead in the thick mud that engulfed them.
Everyday household contents covered in dirt can be seen hanging off balconies and roofs while the hoofs of dead cattle stick out of the ground. The town’s Kali temple was completely destroyed and washed away into the raging waters of the River Trishuli along with at least 100 of its 1,000 residents.
Devi Ghat is dedicated to the goddess Kali, she is known locally as the ‘fierce mother’ and is associated with destruction
Survivors have flocked to a local school which is acting as a temporary camp
The town was torn to shreds by the floods, with livestock left rotting on top of the mud
Family members waited for news of their loved ones at Maithil army camp
Some of those who survived could be seen bravely wading knee deep in the mud desperately trying to salvage what they can from their homes and shops as they attempt to rebuild their lives.
Anil, who once owned a shop in Devi Ghat market, which looks as if it had been hit by a bomb, said as he clambered over debris: ‘I’m just trying to save what I can but virtually all my stock was destroyed by the water. There’s nothing left, everything that I worked so hard to build has been taken from me.
‘But I’m not alone, it’s like this for everyone in the area. I don’t have the words to tell you how we feel because our lives have been destroyed just like our homes and businesses.’
In a stoic reference to the town’s religious heritage, he cried: ‘The goddess Kali has tricked us and unleashed her powers of destruction on Devi Ghat.’
Around 800 of Devi Ghat’s resident’s survived Wednesday’s calamity, many fleeing from their homes to higher ground as the water came crashing down. Around 400 of them are staying in a local school only a mile away on a hill side at a safe distance from the banks of the River Trishuli.
Referred to as ‘the camp,’ when the Daily Mail visited, dozens of those staying there were patiently queuing to register their names so that they can be provided with blankets and clothing.
Mothers sat around forlornly with their children, staring into the distance while others cried and embraced as they discussed the whereabouts of missing loved ones.
The residents of the temporary camp are provided with one meal per day, which is given to them at 3pm and consists of rice, lentils and some vegetables. The food is cooked on a wooden fire by some of the residents themselves who were busy cutting onions and tomatoes as they prepared to feed 400 people.
Those staying in the camp, who number around 400, are given one meal per day
Devi Ghat was devastated by the floods which killed at least 600 people and left almost 2,500 missing
The search for survivors continues in Devi Ghat, where Nepal’s River Trishuli ripped through
The Daily Mail’s Vivek Chaudhary in Devi Ghat, Nepal, where aid efforts continued after the floods
Devi, who is living in the camp with her four children and husband said: ‘It’s not enough food and we all go to bed hungry, but we are lucky to be alive. There are people out there who are not even getting one meal each day.
‘We’re sleeping on the floor of a classroom along with other families and don’t even have blankets or clothes. Hopefully we will get these soon. When the water came, we just ran. Everything was taken from us, we left Devi Ghat with just the clothes we had on.’
The camp has been set up by Dr Kedar Narsing, who runs a local charity and is a well-known philanthropist. As he walked amongst its residents, many greeted him by bowing and placing their palms together in appreciation of his efforts.
Dr Narsing said: ‘We are doing whatever we can for these people because this is a tragedy not just for them but the whole of Nepal. I’ve been getting a lot of support from donors from across the country. This is what happens in a traditional society, we come together to help each other.
‘I know one meal a day is not enough but it’s all we can provide at the moment. We are getting more donations and hopefully, things will improve but it’s going to be a long time before these people will be able to return to their normal lives.’
As we spoke, residents began shouting with excitement as two trucks arrived carrying 25kg bags of rice and blankets. They rushed to form a line, passing the goods from one person to the next as they were put away in a storage room.
Addressing them, Dr Narsing said: ‘We must all continue to work together. Please be patient, there will be more food and blankets, Keep going, things will improve, we must remain positive about the future.’
Despite his fine words, for the residents of the camp and thousands of others across Nepal there is little optimism with the wounds of the flash flood still fresh and fears of more flooding to come.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal revealed over the weekend that areas affected by the flash flood had turned into ‘swampland’ and that they are on high alert for secondary flooding.
Searches continue for survivors and Nepal is braced for further flooding after the first wave turned ground into ‘swampland’
Some wept after reading the bad news at the army camp, where boards showed the names of the identified dead
According to latest figures, 600 people have died and at least 2,426 are missing while thousands more have been left homeless.
The Nepal Tourism Board confirmed that 184 foreign nationals have been rescued but 420 are still unaccounted for, including 33 Britons.
The operation to find the missing is being orchestrated from the Maithali camp, a training centre for the Nepali army which is located around five miles inland from Devi Ghat.
Throughout the day helicopters could be seen taking off and landing as they set off on rescue missions to remote areas or returned from them.
As the choppers touched down, people saved from flood hit areas could be seen wearily being led away to a field hospital which has been set up, where they undergo medical examinations before being released into the care of NGOs or relatives.
Helicopters cross the skies almost constantly as efforts to locate and rescue survivors continue
A tractor and trailer buried in mudthat swept through Devi Ghat, once a bustling town
Young troops ran around the camp loading up the helicopters with food and rescue equipment as their seniors’ barked orders.
Outside, hundreds had gathered to find out information about their loved ones or register them as missing.
Others were allowed inside where they jostled for space around a board where the names of the dead who have been identified are listed. Many walked away with tears in their eyes after reading the bad news.
The Mithali camp has become a frantic place of hope and desperation but for one man, it signalled the end of the road.
Slumped against a wall and with a gash on the side of his head, Bahdur had just arrived after being rescued from a remote village on the Nepal-Tibet border. He was the only one in his family of five to survive – the whereabouts of his wife and four children unknown to him or the Nepalese authorities.
After being checked out by army doctors, they had given him the all clear to leave.
Staring at the ground with a hopeless look in his eyes he whispered: ‘I have nowhere to go. No home and no family. Everything has been taken from me, life is not worth living.’
