Saru Shrestha watched huge waves surge toward her lodge before fleeing uphill with guests and employees. Minutes later, her three-story business was gone.
The first warning was a scream.
People were shouting for everyone to run as huge waves rushed from the river toward Shrestha Lodge, a well-known establishment in Nepal.
Inside, food was being served and customers were still seated.
“We looked out the window and saw huge waves coming from the river,” lodge owner Saru Shrestha recalled. “People were shouting, ‘Run and save yourselves.’”
Speaking in Nepali, with her account relayed through an interpreter, Shrestha said everyone rushed out of the building and fled toward higher ground.
“We ran out of the lodge and headed toward the hill,” she said.
Around 14 to 15 people, including lodge employees, were reportedly inside when the danger became clear. Shrestha said everyone escaped and no one died inside the lodge.
The disaster stunned residents who had experienced flooding before but never expected the water to become so destructive.
“We had seen floods before, but we never imagined that a flood this severe would happen,” Shrestha said.
She had believed the lodge was far enough from the river to be safe. Instead, the flood destroyed the three-story building and swept away years of work and investment.
“You can see from the building how much I have lost,” she said. “I lost my land and all my property. It was a three-story building, and I lost everything.”
The interpreter described Shrestha Lodge as a “viral” lodge that had become famous in the area. Now, little remains beyond mud, debris and broken concrete.
Despite losing her livelihood, Shrestha credited rescue workers and those who raised the alarm with helping people survive.
“It is because of the rescuers’ support and help that we are alive right now,” she said.
Standing beside the wreckage, Shrestha faced the remains of a business that had once brought customers from across the area.
She escaped with her life. Her lodge did not.
