How a photographer captured a moment of hope in a devastated Nepal

Rescuers use an earthmover to carry a victim of flash flooding to safety along the Trishuli River in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) By Niranjan Shrestha Published 11:31 PM MESZ, September 3, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Devighat, Nepal (AP) — Niranjan Shrestha is an Associated Press photographer based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He started working with the AP in 2011. Here’s what he had to say about this extraordinary photo. It was the first time that day I encountered a survivor being rescued alive. After witnessing the immense destruction and the suffering all around me, seeing someone pulled from the disaster alive felt like a powerful reminder of hope. It was important for me to show the world not only the scale of the devastation and the human suffering, but also that there was still hope that more of the hundreds of missing people could be found alive. As I was photographing the survivors being treated at the hospital, I heard that a rescue operation was underway in Devighat, Nuwakot, one of the hardest-hit areas. I immediately ran over, knowing how important it was to document the rescue. I had no idea that the survivor being brought out was a very elderly woman. It was a deeply tragic scene, surrounded by the scale of destruction. But when she arrived on the earthmover, there was a smile on her face. That smile, after everything she had endured, gave everyone around her a sense of hope. Why this photo works Diving into the blue sky, watched by the Eiffel Tower 1 MIN READ How a photographer centered one woman amid the destruction of a Spokane wildfire 1 MIN READ UN agency warns of 17,000 children in urgent need of assistance as aid reaches some Nepal survivors 1 MIN READ This was the first live rescue I witnessed in the first hours after the terrifying flash flood. With roads and bridges washed away, it was also one of the first search and rescue efforts. Seeing an elderly woman brought out alive gave everyone a powerful sense of hope that more missing people could still be found. I was very lucky with the timing. I reached there just moments before she was rescued. It was already getting dark. I used a telephoto lens, but I managed to capture the moment sharply and steadily.