‘We will rise again’ vow Nepalis as they begin rebuilding after deadly floods leave 810 dead & more than 3,000 missing

A COMMUNITY devastated by flash flooding in Nepal “will rise again”, a defiant villager has said. Chandra Man Manandhar, 63, fled his home with wife Sita, 58, moments before it was pummelled by mud, water and ice hurtling through the Himalayas. Entire villages have been almost washed away by the devastating flash floods Credit: AFP Chandra Man Manandhar fled his home with wife moments before it was pummelled by mud, water and ice hurtling through the Himalayas Credit: Ian Whittaker The settlement of Dhunge was one of many destroyed by the floods, which have so far claimed a total of 810 lives, with more than 3,000 people missing. But retired development bank worker Chandra told The Sun: “We are just lucky that we got away. We will rise again.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Before the disaster, triggered by a glacier collapse on the Nepal-Tibet border, Dhunge had around 1,000 residents. There was also a hotel, shops and government buildings. But it was obliterated when the 100mph wave of destruction smashed down the adjacent Trishuli river, leaving a sea of sludge and at least 22 locals missing. Nepal’s finance minister has said the country will need £3.7billion to rebuild. A clean-up operation was under way in Dhunge yesterday, with heavy plant machinery clearing debris. Locals were working together to save the surviving bits of stock from a food shop, passing boxes from a first-floor balcony down a metal sheet and into a truck. A nearby motorbike parts store owned by grandad Manoj Prasad Yadav, 48, was washed away by the flood. Most read in The Sun Brave rescuers still search for the missing under rubble and debris Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Hero and head Rajendra Dawadi told how he saved more than 1,600 children from the wall of water after a friend warned him about the massive flood Credit: Facebook/Aashish Khanal Madsab He said: “I was working in the shop when it happened. We were warned 30 minutes before it happened, but I carried on working because I didn’t think it would be too big. “Then I saw the water coming down — it was so high. So I ran away. I was watching it from behind as I ran.” Among the missing are 33 Brits. Most, including 13-year-old Syna Sahu and her family, from Cobham, Surrey, were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. Footage shows people running for their lives as a sudden flash flood tears through the Nepal-Tibet region Credit: https://x.com/surajit_ghosh2 A drone view of the aftermath of the flash flooding along the Trishuli River Credit: AP The UK government has scrambled a rapid response team to Nepal to support Brits affected by the disaster. The death toll includes 16 in ­China-controlled Tibet, where 546 are unaccounted for. Yesterday, Chinese state media reported that 15 Brits were missing in Tibet. However, it is not clear how much the figures between Nepal and Tibet overlap. Relatives search for information about missing family members at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu Credit: Getty A rescue operation near the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project Credit: Reuters Elsewhere, headteacher Rajendra Dawadi, 47, told how he saved more than 1,600 children from the wall of water after a friend warned him about the massive flood. He got the classrooms of Tribhuvan Trishuli secondary school in Nuwakot evacuated, then contacted bus drivers carrying hundreds more to turn back. He said: “The children were terrified, but their fear gave them the energy to run up the hill.” Meanwhile, a mass burial site has been created in the Chitwan district of Nepal, around 125 miles from the Rasuwa district where the flash floods struck. Hundreds of unidentified victims, including many swept along by the deluge, have been temporarily buried there. Only 20 bodies have been formally identified. Comment now