In deadly Nepal flash floods, a mango tree saves man; he says, ‘Wall of water came thundering down as if...’

Bibek Kumal, a 24-year-old Nepali man, narrowly escaped death in the deadly Nepal flash floods when a mango tree saved his life. Working outside a newly built house in Bidur near the Nepal-Himalayan border with China's Tibet, Kumal was digging a toilet pit when a massive wall of water, mud, and rock swept through the area. His four co-workers shouted at him to get out, and Kumal ran, eventually clinging to the mango tree for safety.

He recounted, "A wall of water came thundering down as if it was an earthquake." As he clung to the tree, the house he had been working on disappeared. Rescuers later reached Kumal and pulled him to safety, where he suffered injuries to his right leg. Three others injured in the flood were also being treated. The floods, triggered by a glacial collapse rather than an earthquake, resulted in over 1,300 people reported missing and at least 165 confirmed deaths.

Rescue efforts, involving police, military personnel, and helicopters, were ongoing while floodwaters receded.