Plan change saves Bavarian family from Nepal flash flood

A last-minute change of plans may have saved a family of four from the Berchtesgadener Land district in Bavaria during a flash flood in Nepal, BR reported. The family had originally planned to hike in the area where the disaster occurred.

Manuel Münch, his Nepalese wife and their two children, aged 10 and seven, had begun a short trekking tour in the Langtang region. They turned back halfway because earlier landslides had blocked the trails.

Instead, the family visited relatives near Trishuli Bazar. The flood struck the following day.

“We saw the flood wave and then ran up the hill with everything we had,” Münch told the German Press Agency. The family ran about 800 metres to reach safety after hearing a loud rumble from the approaching water near the relatives’ house by the river.

The floods destroyed bridges and roads and cut off routes out of the area. The family remained with their relatives for several days. Münch said more than 20 bridges had been destroyed along a stretch of about 40 kilometres, with roads and connections on both sides of the river interrupted.

A helicopter eventually took the family to an army camp in Battar Bazar. “If we had carried out our trekking tour as planned, we would have spent the night in Syabrubesi that day and would have died,” Münch said.

After the disaster, the family contacted the German embassy to confirm that everyone was safe and to request help with their evacuation. They are now due to travel by car to Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, from where they will begin their journey back to Germany.

Rescue helicopters continued to operate at the army camp, bringing people out of the worst-hit areas. The Nepalese army was taking most survivors to temporary shelters.

BR reported with information from the German Press Agency.