Devastating Nepal Floods: 'Swept Away by Torrent, I Survived by Catching a Tree'

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

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

It was the roaring sound of a massive wall of raging water, mud, and rocks cascading down.

Four coworkers shouted at Kumal, who was working inside a 1.5-meter-deep pit, to get out and run immediately, and by the time he hurriedly scrambled out of the pit, his coworkers had already evacuated.

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

However, swept downstream by the rushing torrent, Kumal said, "Luckily, I got caught on a mango tree and stopped," adding, "If it hadn't been for the mango tree, I would have been swept away and lost my life."

Having survived the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal in his teens, which caused around 9,000 deaths, Kumal was able to save his life this time thanks to a single tree.

Clinging to the tree as he watched the house he was working on get swept away and vanish, Kumal was later rescued by police.

He has been transferred to the National Trauma Center in the capital Kathmandu for treatment.

Rihana Ramichane, an 11-year-old girl receiving treatment in the hospital bed opposite Kumal, said, "I was at school when I was told that school was closed because of that incident (the flood) and to go home," adding, "As I was crossing the river, floodwaters suddenly came rushing down."

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

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

Keshab Prasad Baral, 68, who was treated at a different hospital, recounted, "A massive wall of mud came straight toward us. The closer it got, the higher it grew," and "Seeing the mud rush into the house, I grabbed my wife's hand to flee to the terrace. But my wife was swept away by the mud."

Baral expressed his grief, saying, "A helicopter came and rescued me 4 to 5 hours later," and "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 with family and acquaintances from China toward Nepal on the morning of the same day.

Around 10 a.m., when they reached a point about 4 kilometers away from the China-Nepal border checkpoint, a massive wave of muddy water suddenly surged from ahead.

"Trees and utility poles in front of us were all knocked 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 his hands at the car following behind to warn them not to move forward.

"Only after retreating about 3 kilometers did the current become less violent," he said.

Fang stated that a telecommunications repair vehicle went forward but eventually turned back, and heavy fog subsequently rolled in, making it impossible to see the surroundings properly.

Although he narrowly avoided a major accident, he said he was unable to get in touch with a friend in Gyirong County, Xigaze City, in the 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.