Nepal floods: ‘Bodies buried in slush, families refusing food’, Khalsa Aid volunteers witness devastation - The Hindu

**Nepal floods: ‘Bodies buried in slush, families refusing food’, Khasha Aid volunteers witness devastation** – *The Hindu*

Heavy monsoon rains triggered a massive flash‑flood and debris‑avalanche in Nepal’s western hills on 24 May 2026, wiping out entire villages and plunging the country into its worst natural disaster in a decade. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the combined event released more than 1.8 billion cubic metres of water‑laden sediment, overwhelming riverbanks and destroying infrastructure along the Seti and Karnali basins. By the fifth day of rescue operations, the government’s disaster management agency reported **more than 2,400 people missing** and an official death toll that had risen to **682**, including **four workers trapped in a hydropower tunnel** whose rescue was only completed after a multi‑agency effort.

Volunteer teams from the Sikh‑run humanitarian group Khalsa Aid arrived on the scene on 25 May and described conditions that “defy comprehension.” They recounted seeing bodies partially **buried in slush** under collapsed homes, while many survivors, traumatized by the loss of loved ones, were **refusing food** offered by relief agencies out of fear of contaminating it with the flood‑borne debris. “Families are in shock; they cannot eat because they associate any aid with the mud that took everything from them,” said volunteer coordinator Simran Kaur. The organization set up makeshift shelters in temporary camps near the district headquarters, distributing clean water, blankets and medical kits, but noted that psychosocial support was as urgent as material aid.

Rescue crews, including the Nepalese army, the National Disaster Response Force and international partners, have been conducting night‑time search‑and‑rescue missions along the swollen river corridors. The **Times of India** reported that **108 Indian nationals** were among those rescued from the flooded hydropower tunnel, highlighting the cross‑border dimension of the emergency. The **BBC** and **The Guardian** have both emphasized the scale of displacement, with thousands forced into overcrowded shelters in Kathmandu where hospitals are already strained by injuries and water‑borne illnesses. USGS scientists are monitoring the evolving risk of further avalanches, warning that continued precipitation could trigger additional landslides in the already destabilised terrain.