Nepali community in Switzerland mourns flood victims

At least 670 people have died and around 3,000 remain missing after Wednesday’s flash floods in Nepal, SRF reports. The disaster has also deeply affected the roughly 1,500 Nepali people living in Switzerland, many of whom are waiting anxiously for news from relatives and friends.

Members of the Swiss-Nepal Friendship Association gathered over tea at a restaurant in Winterthur to grieve and support one another. Many know people who were affected personally.

Ram Dhungana said his brother-in-law and 22 former classmates remain missing. He had been in contact with his family shortly before the flash flood. His brother-in-law was travelling downhill from the Tibetan border in a lorry, which was registered at the border, Dhungana said. Since then, there has been no sign of either the vehicle or its driver.

“I am very sad,” he said.

Kamal Bhatta said he was initially overwhelmed by videos from Nepal. “At first, I did not realise it at all. And when I later saw them, I initially thought they were fake videos. But then I saw the area where I had also been, and it was a huge shock.”

Videos from the destroyed areas are circulating widely in the community’s chats. Members are hoping that more survivors will be rescued. Arjun Baskatori said the community’s concern was not limited to relatives. “It is not about whether my family is directly affected. We are all Nepali,” he said. His brother and 20 former schoolmates are also missing.

Daivjya Bastakoti described a pervasive sense of helplessness. “It is so difficult for us here. We are simply here for 24 hours, in front of our phones. We sit here, look at our hands and watch these videos,” he said.

The community is also trying to provide practical help. Bhatta said members were seeking to collect donations and financial support and ensure that the money reached the right places.

Markus Ruckstuhl, president of the Swiss-Nepalese Society, said his role was to provide a platform for the community to process its emotions and encourage people to donate. For Nepalis living in Switzerland, he said, coming together, mourning, helping and waiting for news from home were currently the only available responses.