Nuwakot, 9 Jul: Palden Tamang, 67, and his wife Mangali Tamang from Ward 9 of Bidur, area 12, had gone to the Trishuli River around 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning to collect firewood, just five minutes from their home. Shortly after they arrived, a massive flood swept through the river. The Tamang couple became trapped in the flood.
Palden Tamang, 67, and his wife Mangali Tamang of Bidur-9, Ward 12, went to collect firewood from the Trishuli River around 5:30 AM on Tuesday, just five minutes away from their home. Shortly after they arrived, a massive flash flood surged through the river, trapping the couple.
As the water level rose rapidly, they climbed a nearby sisau (Indian rosewood) tree. Their family members, watching helplessly from across the river, were in tears. Efforts began immediately to call for a helicopter rescue. Finally, at around 8:30 AM, a Nepali Army helicopter arrived and rescued the couple.
Coincidentally, Tuesday was Mangali’s birthday — she was turning 62. The family had been preparing to celebrate the occasion. When a Kantipur reporter visited the couple’s home around 9 PM that evening, rituals and prayers were ongoing. Family members filled the house while Guru Chij Lama recited prayers. According to relatives, a purification ritual was being held to ward off the shock and fear the couple had endured.
Palden recounted that his wife had headed early toward the Trishuli River to collect firewood, and he followed her shortly after. At that time, the river was calm. While they were gathering wood and loading it into a basket, muddy water suddenly started to flow in. “Someone blew a whistle,” he said. “I’m hard of hearing, but my wife said someone’s blowing a whistle and told me to hurry. Moments later, large stones and thick mud came rushing in. The river became impossible to cross.”
“There were a few sisau trees nearby. I picked the strongest one and climbed up. But my wife was still below,” he continued. “She had a carrying strap and some ropes with her. I thought I could use those to help her climb up.”
Palden tied the strap to a tree branch and climbed down. He tied the rope around his wife’s waist and helped pull her up. “She couldn’t lift herself off the ground at first, so I went back down and tied the rope to her legs. Then I climbed back up and pulled her up,” he said. “I tied her securely to the tree with the rope. She was crying, and I kept trying to calm her down, telling her not to be afraid. Luckily, it wasn’t raining at the time.”
Palden said that floodwater had carried boulders that got lodged at the base of the sisau tree. Some of them were soon washed away by the flood, but one large log drifted in and got wedged at the base of the tree — an unexpected stroke of luck that stabilized it and kept the tree from being uprooted.
Survivors worshiping after rescue to return normal life
“Two smaller trees nearby had already been swept away. That made me even more nervous. People had gathered around, but I couldn’t see them. All I could think about was how to survive,” he said. “Then I heard what sounded like a helicopter. I checked the time — it was 8:30. The first chopper landed across the river, and I felt hopeful. Then a bigger helicopter came and hovered above our tree. Finally, a soldier jumped into the water below the tree. He strapped both of us into a rescue harness. The soldier who had jumped also climbed into the harness.”
“When the helicopter lifted off, we were submerged in the muddy water — but we were unharmed.”
The helicopter flew them to higher ground. “From there, we were taken to an army barracks, then to a hospital, and finally back home,” said Palden. “I never imagined we’d survive. We both feel like we’ve been given a second life.”
