They even found a few selrotis, or crispy rice donuts, at the exact spot where Chet's mother was cooking it when the quake struck.
As locals of Barpak removed debris using pickaxe and mattock, many of them came across toes, fingers and other body parts of the deceased family members.
The quake claimed the lives of Chet's mother, Malmati Gurung; daughter, Puska, daughter-in-law, Ram Maya; and grand-daughter, Prakriti.Although Chet Bahadur somehow managed to keep his emotions in check while digging, his wife broke down in tears as soon as she saw the remains.
"Whenever we come here to dig and retrieve some items, my wife always breaks into tears," he said.
Even in the face of such tragedy, the family is somehow trying to get by. They have been gathering materials from the debris that could be used to rebuild their new house.
"We miss them terribly. But just how long should we go on shedding our tears? We have to move on even to earn our living," said Chet Bahadur.
When the quake occurred, he recalled, the family was preparing for a puja. Their house could not withstand the powerful jolts of the quake and collapsed in no time. Although Chet Bahadur managed to escape, he did not get a chance to see the faces of the four family members who perished.
"The quake claimed countless lives and destroyed numerous houses. Not just us, many share our problem and sufferings," he uses such words to console his wife and even the neighbors. Although he managed to conceal his pains and utter courageous words, he said the heartache from the losses will remain within him forever.
Another Barpak local, Dhan Bahadur Ghale was also sifting through the debris of his house with the help of 10 other workers.
His house had unique wooden designs and tears rolled down his eyes just remembering what he had lost. "I think around half of the items are reusable. I'll use them to build a makeshift house," he said.
Barpak, the VDC that was the epicenter of the deadly earthquake of April 25, is strewn with rubble of destroyed homes. At present, Nepal Army and Nepal Police personal are helping the locals to recover bodies and properties of the victims.
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