A Japanese researcher who narrowly escaped last week’s flash flooding in Nepal has shared the horror of what she witnessed.
Hoshi Izumi spoke to NHK in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, on Sunday, four days after the disaster. She is a professor at the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, which is a facility at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
Hoshi, a scholar of Tibetan languages and cultures, crossed into Nepal from China’s Tibet Autonomous Region on August 21. She later attended an academic conference in Kathmandu before starting return travel to a region bordering China on Tuesday.
Hoshi said a massive mudslide took place on Wednesday morning while she was moving by vehicle from the town of Bidur, about 70 kilometers from the border region.
She said she saw the mudflow tumble down while in the vehicle on higher ground. She observed that enormous clouds of spray were rising while the torrent was gushing down with a level of force she had never seen before.
Hoshi noted that the flood washed away a bridge the vehicle she was in had just crossed. She said she could have been engulfed by the wall of water if the start of her trip had been delayed a little.
Hoshi said the Nepalese driver, who doubled as a guide, could not reach his family by phone. The professor said he was crying out loud with his shoulders trembling.
Hoshi said people in the disaster-stricken areas are all very placid and affable. She added that she is really sad at learning that so many people have lost their lives. She expressed her intention to provide support for survivors.