Nepali engineer recalls ‘miracle’ escape from deadly flash flood

Rabindra Hamal was told to run as a huge flood surged toward the hydropower plant where he was working near Nepal's Upper Trishuli River. A colleague upstream relayed the warning by radio at about 8:30am on August 26, repeatedly urging the team to get away.

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Please run, please run away, please run away, a huge flood is coming.

Hamal, a 46-year-old engineer, said confusion and panic spread as the workers rushed outside. He and six others climbed into a vehicle and drove downstream, but they had travelled only about 700 metres when they saw a large muddy wave directly behind them.

The group abandoned the vehicle and ran toward higher ground. Hamal said the wave struck them, but a small boulder shielded them from its full force and allowed them to move another five metres to safety. Two members of the group, a driver and a cook, were swept away before they could escape.

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It just looked like something from a Hollywood movie. I cannot even describe it.

A second, larger wave later approached as the survivors stood on a boulder. The ground began shaking violently, and they feared nearby rocks could collapse. No rock fell, however, and the five remained safe. A video shared among colleagues showed the nearby dam being engulfed, while another verified video showed the base camp destroyed minutes after the group escaped.

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But unfortunately, we lost our two friends.

Four hours later, the survivors heard a helicopter but could not attract its attention. They spent the night covered in mud on the boulder in the jungle before a helicopter rescued them the following day.

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It was a very difficult and frightening night we experienced.