“They took too long.”

When 15 year-old Pemba Lama was rescued alive on Thursday, five days after being trapped under the rubble of a collapsed guest house in Gongabu, the news brought hope to the Tamang family whose son Ramesh Lama was also buried underneath the same building.

Maya Lama cries in shock after her brother's body is recovered from a collapsed guest house in Gongabu on Friday. Photo: Bikram Rai

But on Friday afternoon the Army recovered Ramesh’s body.

“They took too long. He could have still been with us if only they’d been quicker,” cried a traumatised Muna Lama, Ramesh’s sister. Ramesh’s wife Maili was on the other side wailing.

The Tamang family from Maharajgunj initially spent two days searching for Ramesh who worked as a painter at various hospitals after they didn’t hear from him on Saturday. It was only after an acquaintance of Ramesh told them he had last met the 28-year old at Gongabu, did the family move their search there.

A guest house owner confirmed she had seen Ramesh in the same building.

Since then the family has been at the rescue site everyday waiting for good news.

“Our hopes were raised after Pemba told us he had been talking to two other people,” said Suman Shrestha, Muna’s brother-in law. “Guess, Ramesh wasn’t one of them.”

Tsering Dolker Gurung