‘Gone in a blink’: Nepal floods sweep away Indian workers who built hotels

What the report says

Five migrant construction workers from Bihar, India, were caught up in flash floods that swept through Syafrubesi, a market town in northern Nepal near the Tibet border, according to Al Jazeera. The report says the men were working at homes and hotels when the waters hit on August 26, and three of them — Arman Ansari, Samir Ansari and Mukhtar Ansari — were missing after the disaster. Two others, Neyaz Miya and Mehadi Hassan, survived by fleeing uphill.

Al Jazeera described how the flood struck while the workers were on the job at different sites, including the Ganesh Hotel and a half-built house. The article said the town was heavily damaged, with buildings and hotel interiors the men had helped construct washed away in minutes. The piece also noted that the workers had been feeding their families through construction jobs in Nepal, where wages were higher than in their home district across the border.

The report places the disaster in the context of broader flooding in Nepal, which has seen widespread casualties, missing persons and rescue operations. Al Jazeera said helicopters evacuated some survivors and that the men later crossed back into India after temporary shelter in Nepal. The story highlights the vulnerability of migrant laborers working near riverbanks and slopes in a region where movement across the India-Nepal border is common for work.