Mother reunited with son, 8, after Nepal floods thanks to journalist

Amidst the devastation of Nepal's glacial floods, a remarkable story of reunion has emerged, offering a glimmer of hope. Eight-year-old Joyal Gale, who survived the torrents by climbing a tree, was brought back to his mother, Mati Maya Tamang, after a harrowing period of uncertainty.

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She had begun to fear that her two sons had lost their lives at their school.

Tamang had been desperately searching for her two sons, moving between shelters and finding no trace of them on survivor lists. The 28-year-old mother recounted her despair to Reuters, admitting she had begun to believe her children were no longer alive. Her hope dwindled with each passing moment.

Their reunion was facilitated by Reuters journalist Shahanaj Bajracharya. Bajracharya had encountered Joyal at a Nuwakot hospital, where the boy had been brought without his identity being known. Recognizing the potential for a reunion, the journalist filmed the child, hoping his family would see it.

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She had begun to believe that they were no longer alive.

Upon receiving the footage, Tamang contacted Bajracharya. The confirmation that the boy was indeed her son brought immense relief. Joyal had been airlifted from the Rasuwa region with a broken leg and facial injuries. His younger brother was also found alive.

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You couldn't tell where the school was, where the market was... You just saw water, stones and mud everywhere.

The family was separated when the school bus they were traveling on was caught in the flash floods. Tamang described the scene as apocalyptic, with the school and market completely obliterated, leaving only water, debris, and mud.

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He was naughty from a young age, so this is not his first fracture.