Nepal family survives deadly mudslide as their reinforced house withstands disaster

A family of six in Nepal miraculously survived a destructive flow of mud and debris by sheltering inside their own home, which withstood the disaster's immense force even as most surrounding houses were destroyed.

The family spent nearly two hours on the upper floors of their house while water, mud, rocks and other debris slammed through the building with great force. The flow tore through the lower floors, knocking out sections of walls, but the structure itself did not collapse. Once the disaster subsided, the family signaled a rescue helicopter using a red flag and was evacuated.

A structure that saved lives

Unlike many neighboring buildings, which were built with traditional stone walls, the surviving house had a reinforced-concrete frame made of concrete and rebar capable of withstanding the powerful impact. Although the masonry walls suffered serious damage, the load-bearing structure remained intact. On social media, people have praised the building's architect.

Scale of the disaster

The disaster was triggered on August 26 by a glacier collapse in the border area between Nepal and Tibet, when a massive chunk of ice fell from a height of several thousand meters into a river. This caused a flow of ice debris, which in turn triggered a glacial lake outburst of water and mud, causing widespread destruction in both Nepal and China.

By the morning of August 31, it had been confirmed that at least 900 people had died in the disaster, while around 4,200 remained unaccounted for.

Groups of Latvian residents were also in the affected area — a large tourist group organized by members of the "Yantra" yoga community, as well as a smaller group traveling with the local operator "Mighty Himalayan Trek". Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that three Latvian residents who were in the region at the time were not harmed by the mudslide, while 33 people are currently considered missing.