Nepal quake: "The hours waiting for my husband was most excruciating" - Jamiah

The horrors inflicted by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the scenic slice of heaven have left many in sorrow. Images of miles and miles of flattened homes were broadcast to a disbelieving world on April 25.

Many are in despair suffering the agony of having lost their loved ones. Everyday has become a struggle for survival in the country synonymous for its heritage buildings and monuments.

With no roofs over their heads and having to continuously watch out for their back in the extremely vulnerable province have led many to accept it as an agonising inescapable faith.

Malaysians, who were evacuated from the quake-stricken Nepal recalled the haunting moments of the earthquake, the worst to hit the mountainous province in 80 years.

It was like any other ordinary Saturday. Jamiah’s husband, Mohd Amin who is an employee with the Malaysian Embassy in Nepal, has left the house to meet his colleagues and she was at home taking a nap in her bedroom before getting ready for Zohor prayer.

All hell breaks loose as the on-coming earthquake started to escalate. Jamiah said the havoc happened within a blink of an eye. It was indescribable. She was too terrified to even leave her home.

All she could do was to remain calm and continue praying for the safety of her husband. The couple has been residing in Nepal since 2013 and their children are safe back home in Malaysia.

“The tremor was terrifying so I started panicking. Who could have predicted it? I thought it was just another small tremor similar to the one that I experienced when I first arrived in Nepal two years ago,” said a distraught Jamiah.

Words could not describe the moment when she realised the tremor had turned vicious. What made matters worst was when Mohd Amin was beyond reach.

“The communication network was down,” she said.

The couple of hours following the quake was the most excruciating wait that Jamiah had endured.

“I could do nothing but to surrender to Allah and believed that if we are fated to live together, I’ll surely meet him,” she said, adding that during the panic hour she was constantly praying for her husband’s safety.

Soon, the sight of her husband riding the motorbike caught her eyes. She remember running to her husband to hug him as he stepped into the house.

“I was very grateful to see him after hours of waiting and I felt so blessed knowing that I will be able to spend my life with him.

“I'm truly grateful for the fact that he was unharmed,” she said, her hands clasped tightly together to her heart as a gesture of total relief.

She said everyone was seen reeling from the shock of the massive earthquake when she stepped out of the house when the quake eventually receded.

According to Jamiah, Mohd Amin was shaking with the horrifying episodes that unfolded before his eyes on his way back home.

“He said, along the way, many buildings and rows of houses have collapsed … temples and historical buildings have been razed to the ground.

“Cars were crushed by piles of rocks and he saw many dead people,” she said while stuttering to describe tragedy.

Jamiah also recalled the horrifying sight of a 15-storey apartment located near her house.

“From where I was, I could see the apartment wobbling,” she said.

The 53-year-old Jamiah lauded the Nepalis for their bravery during this time of adversities.

“The Nepalis are testament of bravery for having to endure such difficulties and uncertainties".

The earthquake, the worst to have struck Nepal in 81 years has claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people and left 8,000 more injured as of today.