Horrific Nepal Floods: Survivor Recounts Being Swept Downriver and Caught by Mango Tree

As hundreds remain dead or missing following massive floods and landslides that struck Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region, survivors continue to share harrowing accounts of the disaster.

According to Reuters on August 27 (local time), 24-year-old Bibek Kumal, a resident of the Rasuwa district in north-central Nepal, was digging a toilet pit outside a newly built house the previous day when he heard a hissing sound.

It was the roaring noise of a massive wall of rushing water, mud, and boulders cascading down.

Four coworkers yelled at Kumal to get out and run while he was working inside the 1.5-meter-deep pit. By the time he scrambled out in a panic, his coworkers had already evacuated.

"I started running. Then, like an earthquake, a massive wall of water came rushing down with a roaring sound," Kumal said.

However, as he was swept downstream by the fierce current, he recalled, "Luckily, I got caught on a mango tree and stopped. If it weren't for the mango tree, I would have been swept away and lost my life."

Having survived the devastating Nepal earthquake in 2015 when he was a teenager—which caused about 9,000 deaths—Kumal managed to save his life this time thanks to a single tree.

Clinging to the tree and watching his workplace get swept away and disappear, Kumal was later rescued by police.

He was transferred to the National Trauma Center in the capital city of Kathmandu, where he is receiving treatment.

Rihana Lamichhane, an 11-year-old girl being treated in the hospital bed opposite Kumal, said, "I was at school when we were told that school was closed because of the incident (floods) and to go back home. As I was crossing the river, floodwaters suddenly came rushing down."

Sustaining injuries to her chest and legs, she added, "I am glad to be safe, but I have no idea what happened to my friends."

Rita, Lamichhane's mother, who rushed to find her daughter after receiving a call from a friend, said, "I am glad nothing major happened to my daughter. I was relieved to confirm that she is safe."

Keshab Prasad Baral, 68, who was treated at a different hospital, said, "A huge mass of mud came rushing straight toward us. As it got closer, the height kept growing higher and higher. Seeing mud rush into the house, I grabbed my wife's hand and tried to escape to the terrace. But my wife was swept away by the mud."

Expressing his sorrow, Baral said, "A helicopter came and rescued me 4 to 5 hours later. My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud. My wife is gone."

Meanwhile, according to Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily and other outlets, a Chinese national surnamed Fang was driving a car from China toward Nepal with family members and acquaintances earlier that morning.

Around 10:00 AM, when they reached a point about 4 kilometers away from the China-Nepal border checkpoint, massive muddy waters suddenly surged from ahead.

"All the trees and utility poles in front of us had fallen down, and a massive flood was rushing toward us," he said, describing the situation. "Without even time to turn the car around, I just kept reversing."

He continued to back up while waving at a following vehicle to signal them not to move forward.

"It was only after backing up about 3 kilometers that the current became less fierce," he said.

Fang noted that although a telecommunications repair vehicle headed forward, it eventually had to turn back, and heavy fog soon set in, making it impossible to see the surroundings clearly.

Although he managed to avoid a major accident, Fang said he was unable to get in touch with a friend in Gyirong County, Xigaze, Tibet Autonomous Region, where the landslide occurred.

The death toll from the previous day's massive floods rose to at least 160 as of today, including 157 in Nepal and 3 in China.

With confirmed missing persons reaching 484 in Nepal and 558 in China, the scale of casualties is expected to continue growing.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.