A Nepalese man narrowly escaped floodwaters on a motorised scooter and is credited with saving dozens of lives by warning a local school of the imminent danger. Kiran Strestha, who took swift action after receiving a flood alert, managed to evacuate students and family members just seconds before a devastating surge hit the village of Trishuli.

Kiran recounted the tense moments from the muddy banks of the Trishuli River, where his family home once stood before being swept away. Upon hearing flood warnings from Timure, located about 35 kilometers upriver, he immediately rode his scooter to a nearby college to collect his younger sister. After crossing one of the two bridges that formerly connected Trishuli village, he returned home to fetch his father, Basanta.

From the initial warning to the arrival of the floodwaters, the family had roughly 15 minutes. After raising the alarm at the college, Kiran and his father mounted their scooters and, accompanied by two school buses and a police van carrying other students and evacuees, they made a desperate bid for higher ground in Bidur. They survived by just 10 seconds as the fast-rising water and strong winds engulfed the area.

Returning to their devastated village, Kiran and Basanta found their home and a motorcycle repair workshop completely destroyed. Basanta expressed sorrow over the loss of numerous neighbours and friends, pointing out locations where multiple families perished. Reports indicate that the floods destroyed more than 500 houses in the bend of the Trishuli River, leaving widespread ruin in their wake.

Among the survivors was eight-year-old Sangeta Galan, who returned with her mother, Santi Lan, and aunt, Phul Maya, to survey the ruins of their family jewelry store. Phul Maya, who was hospitalized at the time of the flood, shared that she lost her husband as well as all the gold jewelry and savings kept in the shop.

Another resident, 21-year-old Sumit, sat amid the mud-filled remnants of a building near the riverbank. He expressed deep pessimism about the future of the town, stating that rebuilding seemed impossible after such a catastrophic event. “No, we can’t. We can see what kind of a disaster this is,” he said. “I don’t think there will be any city any more. It’s sad but we have to accept it.”

The Trishuli flood underscores the vulnerability of communities situated along riverbanks in Nepal, highlighting the urgent need for improved early warning systems and disaster preparedness in the region.