Nuwakot, Sept 2: A heartbreaking scene has emerged from Nepal’s flood-hit Nuwakot district, where a dog has been waiting amid the mud and debris of a destroyed house, apparently hoping that its missing owner will return.
The devastating floods that struck Nepal last week washed away several houses in the Trishuli Bazaar area of Nuwakot. Rescue teams are still working at the site, clearing tonnes of mud and debris in search of people who may have been trapped underneath.
Amid the ongoing rescue operation, the dog has been spotted lying quietly at one particular spot in the debris. Even the loud sounds of several JCB machines operating nearby have failed to make it leave.
At times, the dog reportedly looks at the rescuers with sad, tearful eyes, creating an emotional scene at the disaster site.
Volunteer Bikram Thapa said rescuers initially tried to coax the dog out by offering it biscuits and calling it affectionately. They had planned to feed it and then move it to a safer place.
However, the dog neither ate the food nor showed any interest in leaving the spot. It remained lying in the mud despite the heavy machinery and noise surrounding it.
There were four houses at the particular location in Trishuli Bazaar, making it difficult to determine exactly which house the dog belonged to. However, as the animal has refused to leave one particular spot, rescuers suspect that its owner may have lived in the house that once stood there.
For this reason, rescuers are no longer trying to forcibly move the dog. Instead, they leave dry food and water near it at intervals of a few hours.
The dog occasionally eats some of the food when the road becomes quiet and there are fewer people around.
Local shopkeeper Dinesh Bashyal said his own house had also been swept away in the floods.
“We understand what has happened to us, but the dog does not know where its loved ones have gone,” he said, describing the animal’s wait amid the ruins as deeply painful.
The dog’s silent vigil has moved rescuers and volunteers, becoming one of the most emotional images to emerge from the flood-hit area.
