Changed plans save German family from Nepal flood death

A German family of four has survived a lucky escape from the floodwaters in Nepal, rescued by army helicopter after the devastating flash flood. 

Manuel Münch, 37, his Nepali wife, 35, and their two children aged 10 and 7 were airlifted to safety by the army. The family had sheltered with relatives near Trishuli Bazar for days after the floods destroyed roads and bridges and cut off their route out of the area.

'Loud thunder and rumbling'

What saved the family was a change of plan. Münch and his family had been on a short trekking tour in the Langtang region but had been forced to cut it short because earlier landslides had blocked the paths. They returned early and visited relatives near Trishuli Bazar.

The flood came a day later. "We saw the flood wave and then ran up the hill with everything we had," Münch told dpa. The family ran around 800 metres to reach safety. 

From the relatives' house close to the river, they had heard the approaching disaster from a distance. "A loud thunder, a rumbling," Münch said. Then the family watched as the flood wave came and clouds of dust were thrown up.

'We would have died'

"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 report that everyone was safe. They also asked for help with evacuation.

There was no way out by road: More than 20 bridges had been destroyed along a stretch of around 40 kilometres, the father said. Roads and connections on both sides of the river had been cut. 

The four family members were brought by helicopter to an army camp in Battar Bazar. Now they have just one wish: to get back to Germany as quickly as possible.

Rescue helicopters in constant operation

The army camp was a hive of activity. Rescue helicopters were taking off and landing without pause to bring people out of the badly affected areas. 

From the helicopters, individual survivors, whole families and groups such as school classes or workers from destroyed hydropower plants emerged. Some were visibly injured, others looked exhausted and shaken after hours in the disaster zone.

The Nepalese army subsequently took most of those rescued to communal shelters. The Münch family was also to be driven to Kathmandu, from where they can begin their journey back to Germany.

Following Wednesday's flash flood, a search had been under way for several German nationals in Nepal. 

Germany's Foreign Ministry said in Berlin on Friday that, according to the federal government's information, a low double-digit number of German citizens were missing. A spokesman said the ministry was working at full speed to establish the facts.