Talka Sada, 50, originally from Saptari, lost contact with his son, Vinod, when a flash flood on 26/8 swept through northern Nepal, destroying numerous homes and bridges.

Sada last spoke to his son on 25/8. A month prior, Vinod had traveled to Rasuwa district to work as a laborer at a hydropower plant. Four other young men who accompanied Vinod are also unaccounted for. "My wife is distraught at home, and I carry immense pain," Sada recounted.

Wearing an orange plastic bag as a raincoat and carrying a gray backpack, Sada embarked on the long journey with his younger brother to find his son. The 2,000 rupees (approximately 13 USD) he borrowed constituted their entire travel budget. "For every 100 rupees borrowed, I incurred 20 rupees in interest," he stated.

The brothers used a portion of the funds to take a bus from Saptari to the capital, Kathmandu. The 292 km journey took 9 hours due to the mountainous terrain. Upon reaching Kathmandu, they visited hospitals, meticulously checking lists of both survivors and fatalities airlifted by rescue forces. However, there was no information about Vinod.

Talka Sada (right) and his brother search for his son, who has been missing since the 26/8 flash flood devastated much of northern Nepal. *Photo: Smita Sharma/Al Jazeera*.

Sada continued his trek towards Nuwakot, nearly 60 km from Kathmandu, close to the hydropower plant where his son had been working. Navigating damaged roads, they stopped at Trishuli market, which was now submerged in thick mud. "The guesthouse charged 1,500 rupees for one night, including a small bowl of rice; staying longer would surely deplete all our money," he recounted.

Sada repeatedly called his son, but no one answered. "Everyone at home is grieving deeply, and I am desperately searching all hydropower plants, hoping to bring my son back," he said.

At times, the distraught father hoped for a miracle. He believed his son, who worked as a porter, was quick-witted and surely would have escaped to safety. But his voice then faltered: "If Vinod were alive, he surely would have called from somewhere."

Despite their borrowed funds dwindling and their feet blistered from days of walking, Sada and his brother pressed on towards the hydropower plant.

The Nepal army participates in search and rescue operations outside a tunnel near a hydropower project site, following deadly flash floods and landslides, in Rasuwa district, Nepal, on 1/9. *Photo: Reuters*.

CNN (US) reported data from Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), confirming that the 26/8 disaster caused at least 1,114 fatalities and left nearly 4,500 people missing. In other affected areas, hundreds of workers remain trapped in hydropower plant tunnels. Continuous rain, collapsed bridges, and thick layers of mud are significantly hindering rescue efforts.

Minh Phuong (According to NyTimes, People)