Rasuwa, Sept. 1 -- When the flood came, Purna Bahadur Ghale had seconds to decide whether to run.

The 43-year-old executive member of Uttargaya Rural Municipality was in Shanti Bazar when the Bhotekoshi river burst through settlements in Rasuwa on August 26. Someone shouted that everyone should flee.

He ran towards his home in Khalte.

Shanti Bazar is about three kilometres from the village. But by the time Ghale reached Pahirebesi, the flood had already arrived. He barely escaped with his life.

"Seconds made the difference between life and death," he said.

Now sheltering at the holding centre set up at Shivalaya Basic School in Laharepauwa, Ghale is struggling to comprehend what happened next. Seven members of his family are missing....