Ottawa's Nepalese community mourns flood victims at vigil

Ottawa's Nepalese community mourns flood victims at vigil

Ambassador says disaster 'unimaginable in its scale and in its devastation'

Rojina Dhungana woke up on Wednesday to videos of the town in Nepal where she grew up being washed away by raging flood waters.

Her parents still live there, but the 28-year-old said one of her brothers managed to contact them and has let her know they're OK.

Still, days after the disaster, she hasn't heard from them herself.

Dhungana said that's difficult for someone who usually FaceTimes with her mom twice a day.

"I came to know that they are safe, but I haven't heard their voices yet," she said, adding there are "no words" to describe what the past few days have been like.

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On Friday night Dhungana gathered along with more than 100 other members of Ottawa's Napalese community for a candlelight vigil.

Everyone present had been affected by the flooding in some way, said organizer Ramesh Baniya, explaining that two of his own childhood friends are missing.

"We are here to remember. We are here to mourn. We are here to pray," he told the crowd.

"We're gonna light the candles in memory of those who lost their lives, who are no longer with us."

Nearly 600 bodies had been recovered as of Friday and 1,924 people were missing.

Bharat Raj Paudyal, Nepal's ambassador to Canada, spoke at the vigil, describing how dozens of bridges and a handful of hydroelectric projects were destroyed by the torrent.

Cities and towns were levelled, he said, pointing out many had stood for centuries and survived past floods.

The damage this time was "very unprecedented and very unimaginable in its scale and in its devastation," said the ambassador.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe also shared his heartbreak on behalf of the city.

"I know there are so many members of the community who are worried about loved ones, about friends, about family members, about neighbours who are missing," he said.

"It's just inconceivable what has happened and how quickly it occurred."

Dhungana said she still can't believe the photos and videos showing what's left of her hometown of Trishuli Bazar.

"The neighbourhood, the surroundings, the relatives, the stores where I used to go for groceries and everything. Now it's like nothing is there. Nobody is over there," she said.

Her parent's house is high on a hill, so it was "safe" during the flood, according to Dhungana, but many others weren't able to escape.

She has managed to speak with a schoolmate who told her he watched as hundreds of people were caught up in the water.

"The whole town was swept away, and he witnessed that, but he could not help. Nobody could help," Dhungana said.

She's eagerly waiting to hear from her family, hoping those like her parents who are living among the wreckage and without power or supplies will get help soon.

"I'm just worried about my mom. How is she doing?" Dhungana wondered.

Dan Taekema is CBC’s reporter covering Kingston, Ont. and the surrounding area. He’s worked in newsrooms in Chatham, Windsor, Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa. You can reach him by emailing daniel.taekema@cbc.ca.