“Had there been no mango tree, I would have been dead”: 24-year-old Nepali man watched houses disappear and people being washed away

Bibek Kumal, a 24-year-old Nepali labourer, woke on the morning of August 26, 2026 for his regular and ordinary work. He worked in Bidur, Nuwakot. But he didn’t think that his ordinary day would turn out to be extraordinary. He was digging a toilet pit outside a newly built house, about five feet deep. He was working along with four other workers nearby. And everything happened within minutes. His workday became a fight for survival when the area was hit by the flood.But he wasn’t saved by a helicopter or a concrete building but by an ordinary mango tree. Kumal would later recall from his hospital bed in Kathmandu that when the floodwaters came, the tree was the only thing between him and death.Bibek’s story

Nuwakot [Nepal], Aug 27 (ANI): A drone view of the devastation in Devighat area following a mud-laden flash flood caused by an outburst in the Bhotekoshi River, in Nuwakot on Thursday. As per Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority flash-flood death toll stands at 258. (ANI Video Grab)

Kuman was working on the digging of the pit when he heard a strange sound before the flood arrived. According to a report by Reuters, he described it as a hissing sound. His four co-workers, who were standing above the excavation, realised something was wrong. They shouted at Bibek to come out and run.He somehow managed to get out of the pit. But by then, his coworkers had already fled.And then came the water.Kumal described the moment to Reuters as a wall of water arriving with such force that it felt like an earthquake. It was not just water. The torrent carried mud, rocks and debris downstream, sweeping away everything in its path.Bibek too was caught in it and almost lost control over where the water was taking him.Then, amid all the chaos, he somehow became caught in the branches of a mango tree. And that mango tree became his lifeline.Kumal clung to the mango tree as the flood tore through the area. “Had there been no mango tree, I would have been washed away to death.”From his position on the tree, he saw the terrible scenes as floodwater destroyed the house where he had been working. It got washed away in a matter of a few seconds. The place where he had been earning his daily wage was simply swallowed by the torrent.A stone struck his leg, but he survived

“Had there been no mango tree, I would have been washed away” (AI-Image)

The water did not leave Kumal unhurt and he,Mmmvxvfny lcudmc was struck by a huge stone, which left his right leg injured. But he lived through this.After hours, police reached him and pulled him to safety.He was soon transported to Kathmandu and admitted to the National Trauma Centre for treatment. His brother, Dinesh, was beside him as he recounted the terrifying experience.For him, it’s a deeply personal journey. While Bibek’s own home escaped the destruction, he had just watched the workplace where he had been earning his livelihood vanish before his eyes.Bibek’s survival story is an example of ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’. He simply found something strong enough to hold on to. The mango tree stood amid a landscape being transformed into a river of mud, stones and broken structures.Also, his survival was extraordinary because of how little time people had to react.What happened on 26 August

Trishuli [Nepal], Aug 28 (ANI): A drone view of the buildings damaged and surrounded by thick mud and debris along the Trishuli river following flash-floods, in Trishuli on Friday. (ANI Video Grab)

The flood struck the Himalayan border region on Wednesday, August 26, devastating parts of Nepal and Tibet. They are calling it one of the biggest catastrophes of the decade. It all started when a huge mass of ice, rock and mud collapsed into a mountain river near the Nepal-China border. The debris-laden flood travelled downstream with devastating force, destroying everything that came in its way; homes, roads and bridges, humans. Initial reports considered whether an earthquake had triggered the collapse; later analysis indicated that the recorded seismic signal was associated with the collapse itself.One of Nepal’s worst disastersAccording to several media reports, the death toll from the devastating flash floods has reached at least 794 people, with over 3,000 individuals still reported missing. But the good news is over 4,450 people have been rescued and are being treated.For families, the disaster has therefore become a painful wait between hope and grief.For Bibek, this is yet another tragedy he survived and a life gifted by god. The young labourer had already lived through Nepal’s devastating 2015 earthquake, which killed nearly 9,000 people.11 years later, he found himself once again caught in a natural disaster that nearly killed him. But this time, a mango tree gave him hope and another chance to live.

Trishuli [Nepal], Aug 28 (ANI): A drone view of the buildings damaged and surrounded by thick mud and debris along the Trishuli river following flash-floods, in Trishuli on Friday. (ANI Video Grab)

“I am happy to be safe”Kumal was not the only survivor whose story emerged from the hospital wards.It’s a fact that natural disasters often leave behind numbers in the form of missing people, deaths, destroyed homes and more. But behind every number is a person whose life changed in seconds.For Bibek Kumal, the defining image of the August 26 flood will perhaps always be that mango tree. A mango tree that saved his life.