Surat<\/span>23 minutes ago<\/span>Author: Sunil Paladiya<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI have never seen a flood like this in my life. I have seen water during floods, but never a flood of mud and stones.\u201d These were the words of Gujarati social worker Nitin Jani, popularly known as Khajurbhai, who reached Nepal with his team to assist in relief operations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He said entire areas have been buried under mud, with many houses submerged up to the second floor.<\/p>\n Khajurbhai describes devastation in Betravati<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking from Betravati, one of the worst-affected areas, Jani described the situation as terrifying. Amid the destruction caused by floods and landslides, he joined relief and rescue operations on the ground with his team.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He also warned against assuming that concrete or plastered houses can withstand nature\u2019s fury. \u201cNo one can stand against water and nature,\u201d he said, describing the scale of devastation witnessed in Nepal.<\/p>\n Cars, hotels, and bridges in Betravati were buried under debris.<\/span><\/p>\n Two-storey buildings buried under mud in Nepal<\/strong><\/p>\n Describing the situation on the ground, Nitin Jani said floods normally recede within two or three days. But in Betravati, the disaster was different, with mud and massive rocks sweeping through the area instead of water alone.<\/p>\n Jani said rocks as large as two-storey buildings came crashing down from the mountains, burying houses, hotels and bridges under debris. Even strong concrete structures could not withstand the force of nature, with entire houses buried under mud and earth up to the height of two floors.<\/p>\n Large boulders carried away in the flood wreaked havoc on Betravati.<\/span><\/p>\n Hundreds feared buried under debris in Nepal<\/strong><\/p>\n According to government figures, around 1,300 people have died and 4,000 to 5,000 remain missing. However, Nitin Jani said the situation on the ground appears even more devastating. In Betravati alone, around 700 people are feared dead.<\/p>\n The village, which had around 150 to 200 houses, has been devastated, with homes and structures scattered under the debris.<\/p>\n A strong stench has been emanating from the ground for the past few days as roads are cleared using JCB machines, raising fears that a large number of bodies remain buried beneath the soil.<\/p>\n There were 70 shops there, and they were all destroyed at once.<\/span><\/p>\n Appeal to officials to trace Gujarati tourists<\/strong><\/p>\n Nitin Jani has expressed deep concern over Gujarati tourists stranded or missing in Nepal. Several families from Gujarat have travelled to Nepal in search of their loved ones and are visiting different government offices for information.<\/p>\n In constant touch with local administration<\/strong><\/p>\n Jani said he is in constant contact with the local administration and Nepali citizens. He has appealed to them to immediately report if they come across any Gujarati tourist, so timely help can be provided to the affected families.<\/p>\n Houses up to two stories high were buried under mud and rocks.<\/span><\/p>\n Khajurbhai urges relief groups to provide sanitary supplies<\/strong><\/p>\n Nitin Jani appealed to organisations involved in relief work to ensure that women and girls receive essential personal supplies. He said grains, groceries and ration kits reach affected areas, but women often hesitate to ask for necessities such as sanitary pads and undergarments.<\/p>\n Include female volunteers in relief teams<\/strong><\/p>\n Jani urged voluntary organisations to provide sanitary pads and undergarments without hesitation. He also called for female volunteers to be included in relief teams so these supplies can reach women and girls who may otherwise find it difficult to ask for them.<\/p>\n JCB machines have been deployed day and night to clear the debris and reopen the roads.<\/span><\/p>\n Round-the-clock rescue operations<\/strong><\/p>\n Nitin Jani and his team have been working around the clock for the past five days at the disaster site. JCB machines are being used to clear debris and reopen roads cut off by the devastation.<\/p>\n Essential supplies distributed<\/strong><\/p>\n Alongside rescue and road-clearing operations, the team is continuously distributing clean drinking water, ration supplies, gas cylinders, cookers, utensils and sanitary pads to affected residents.<\/p>\n A strong stench is coming from the ground while clearing the road with a JCB.<\/span><\/p>\n 14 people rescued from viral house using plastic crates<\/strong><\/p>\n Nitin Jani\u2019s brother, Tarun Jani, said one of the most widely shared accounts from the disaster involved a house where 14 people were trapped. According to those present, the group had been on the mountain side when they became stranded inside the house.<\/p>\n Rescued using ropes and crates<\/strong><\/p>\n A young man managed to bring all 14 people down safely using ropes and plastic crates. Although the victims lost all their belongings in the disaster, their lives were saved, which remains the most important outcome, Tarun said.<\/p>\n Drinking water, rations, gas cylinders, utensils, and other essential items were distributed to the victims.<\/span><\/p>\n Flood and debris severely damaged the building<\/strong><\/p>\n The family remains frightened and traumatised after the disaster. The plastic crate used to rescue 14 people has become a symbol of their survival.<\/p>\n The building suffered extensive damage as floodwater and debris swept through the area, with even the ceiling fan inside completely bent.<\/p>\n 14 people escaped through the back<\/strong><\/p>\n The entire front portion of the house was destroyed. From the rear, all 14 people climbed down one by one while sitting in the plastic crate and reached safety.<\/p>\n Their survival amid the destruction has left the family deeply shaken, reinforcing the belief that when lives are protected by divine grace, even the worst circumstances cannot prevail.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Surat23 minutes agoAuthor: Sunil Paladiya \u201cI have never seen a flood like this in my life. I have seen water during floods, but never a flood of mud and stones.\u201d These were the words of Gujarati social worker Nitin Jani, popularly known as Khajurbhai, who reached Nepal with his team to assist in relief operations….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[33730,33731,31335,31584,33732,22720,33734,33733],"class_list":["post-36451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nation","tag-khajurbhai","tag-mud-flood","tag-nepal-disaster","tag-nepal-flood","tag-nitin-jani","tag-rescue-operation","tag-social-worker","tag-viral-house"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/web2images\/1884\/2026\/09\/07\/comp10-ezgifcom-optimize_1788801075.gif\")
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