Nepal mudslide survivor recounts terrifying moment, his miraculous escape

China

Nepal mudslide survivor recounts terrifying moment, his miraculous escape

2026-09-01 16:18 Last Updated At：18:37

A survivor of Nepal's devastating mudslide recounted the terrifying moment and his miraculous escape, saying the enormous sound of crashes was worse than an earthquake.

The catastrophic flash flood and mudslide triggered by a glacial collapse struck the remote China-Nepal border region on Aug 26 morning. The Nepal Police said on Monday evening that 974 bodies had been recovered from mudslide-hit areas, with 4,599 people still missing.

"At six in the morning, we had no idea what was happening. Suddenly, around eight people started shouting. They said, 'The flood is coming. Leave your houses immediately. Empty the market and save yourselves.' It was already nine o'clock. My children tried to grab things but could not take anything. We just ran, wearing whatever we had on. The flood came at 09:45. As we reached the top of the hill, and just then, the flood came," said 72-year-old Krishna Lal Chitrakar, the survivor.

Chitrakar and his wife stared at the river all the day as they tried to come to terms with their loss.

They were saved in the nick of time and watched their house get swept away in the flood.

"When I was getting out of the house, I thought I wouldn't survive. Somehow, I reached the hilltop. When I turned around, I saw the flood sweeping away my house and crashing it into the suspension bridge. The house was destroyed in a second. The next house went down, then another one. The entire row of houses was flattened. The town square was also swept away. It was a huge crash. Even the temple pillars were swept away. Everything was destroyed. I did not want to look. There was no home left. There was nothing," said Chitrakar.

Chitrakar sold his agricultural land to build his house for himself and his three sons, but now they own just one pair of clothes.

"My wife started crying. I wanted to cry too, but I controlled myself for the sake of my children. I consoled them, saying, 'We are alive. We are physically safe. We will find a way to survive.' That is how I consoled them. The wave was enormous. It destroyed a four-story house. It even crossed this building. Can you imagine that? It brought huge logs from upstream and big rocks from downstream. The rocks crashed into each other, creating an enormous sound," Chitrakar recalled.

China never interferes in other countries' internal affairs: spokesman

China never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries in any way, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

Guo was responding to the baseless accusations made recently by New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters on China's relations with Pacific island countries.

"China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs. We have never shown any interest in, nor will we interfere in the internal affairs of any other country in any way. Regarding the remarks made by certain New Zealand official, they are completely unfounded. China has consistently upheld the principle of 'four fully respects' in developing its relations with Pacific island countries, and has no interest in, nor has it ever interfered in the internal affairs of any other country," said Guo.

The "four fully respects" refers to the principle where China fully respects the sovereignty and independence of Pacific island countries, and upholds the equality of all countries, big or small; fully respects the will of Pacific island countries and follows the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, shared benefits, and win-win results; fully respects the cultural traditions of Pacific island nations, and pursues harmony without uniformity and the common development of diverse cultures; and fully respects Pacific island countries' efforts to seek strength through unity and supports them in implementing the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, so as to contribute to the building of a peaceful, harmonious, secure, inclusive, and prosperous Blue Pacific.