'Saved by a mango tree': Nepali labourer recounts surviving deadly flash flood

Bibek Kumal, a 24-year-old Nepali labourer, recounted his harrowing escape from a deadly flash flood, attributing his survival to a mango tree. Kumal was digging a toilet pit when a torrent of water, mud, and rock surged down, sweeping him away.

"I started running. Then a wall of water came thundering down as if it was an earthquake," Kumal said from his hospital bed. He described being carried downstream amidst debris but managed to cling to a mango tree. "Had there been no mango tree, I would have been washed away to death," he stated, highlighting the sheer force of the flood.

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I started running. Then a wall of water came thundering down as if it was an earthquake.

The flash flood, which occurred in the Bidur area of Nepal near the Chinese border, has resulted in a significant disaster, with over 160 confirmed deaths and hundreds still missing. The event devastated settlements and infrastructure, including numerous bridges and roads. Security footage from the Chinese side of the border captured the destructive power of the mudslide.

Kumal suffered injuries to his right leg, struck by the floodwaters and a large stone. He is currently receiving treatment at Kathmandu's National Trauma Centre, along with other injured survivors. While rescue operations are ongoing, the scale of the destruction and the challenging terrain pose significant obstacles. Nepal, a mountainous country, is no stranger to natural disasters, frequently experiencing floods and landslides during the monsoon season.

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luckily I was stuck up in a mango tree. Had there been no mango tree, I would have been washed away to death.