'I'm in Nepal - entire families are wiped out'

An adventurer and mountaineer who travelled to Nepal to help in the aftermath of August's deadly floods says he has met so many people whose entire families have been "wiped out".

Paul Arnott, 31, from Flitwick in Bedfordshire, who arrived from Vietnam at the end of August after helping in other search and rescue operations in Tenerife, Sardinia and Thailand, said: "I thought, if I can help one person that would be amazing."

He said after being stuck in Kathmandu for about three days he finally made it to Trishuli at the beginning of September.

"It was awful, it looked like a war scene, all the buildings were destroyed and the buildings that were still standing were covered in mud."

Arnott, who travels the world and shares his adventures on social media, said he decided to help and has self-funded his efforts.

He has worked independently but has also assisted different official organisations including the army and police.

"Over the years I have also helped in Sardinia, in the search for Michael Frison, Tenerife, for Jay Slater, Thailand and Vietnam.

"All the experience, I thought 'it could be put to use here' - and it has paid off.

"It's mentally exhausting seeing families that have lost loved ones, kids that have no parents anymore and seeing how deeply it is affecting everyone.

"The people out here are trying to be really brave, but even when they've had their whole family wiped out they're really strong people."

"One job I had was to go into the shops that were half filled with mud, to dig through the mud and get supplies, noodles, whatever they were selling, pull them out, hand wash them, and take them away.

"It was pretty intense."

He then moved to another area and had to wait alongside locals to cross a river in a makeshift cage. He was given ticket number 170.

"I was told it would be a few hours, it took two days."

Arnott said as well as clearing a man's house of mud, he had handed out medical supplies and clothing and had bought about 13 shovels to give to families.

"There was one holding camp, an old school, where about 1,000 flood victims were sleeping.

"I helped to cook and serve food, making sure everything was sanitary.

"It's an awful situation, it's terrible.

"There are so many people that you're seeing all the time whose parents have died, their entire families have been wiped out."

He said he came across one man who was digging for his entire family, who had become trapped at a wedding.

"It's truly awful to see.

"I just wanted to help as many people as I could."

A spokesperson for British Red Cross said: "The Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) has been responding since the floods struck, initially deploying emergency teams and volunteers to support search and rescue efforts, provide emergency shelter, food, clean water and essential relief supplies.

"In the past month alone, NRCS has supported more than 37,000 people with volunteers continuing to support families in emergency camps, helping to reconnect loved ones who have lost contact and ensuring communities can maintain access to healthcare through the establishment of emergency clinics that are supporting more than 100 people a day."

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