As raging floodwaters swept away vehicles, buildings and belongings in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, one 40-year-old green-painted house remained largely intact.
The house, located near the Trishuli River, has since become one of the most striking images from the devastating floods, with pictures showing it standing amid the destruction around it.
But why did the house survive when structures nearby were swept away?
Its owner, Prakash, said the building’s resilience could partly be traced to its strong foundation and the quality of the materials used when it was built about four decades ago.
People were standing on a house balcony when a devastating flash flood suddenly struck the Nepal–Tibet border region. With floodwaters surrounding them, there was no clear way out pic.twitter.com/XtjWOdgIYs— Surajit (@surajit_ghosh2) August 28, 2026
