Jaw-dropping footage has emerged from the horror Nepal floods of what has been dubbed a “miracle house” surviving the devastation.
The little house with green paint has become an unlikely symbol of survival in Nepal, as it remained standing strong after raging floodwaters demolished everything around it.
The cascading torrent of water, debris and wreckage can be seen tearing through the village around it, as three people appear to tremble in fear on the home’s balcony.
While the powerful floodwaters surged through the ground floor and ripped away the house’s doors and windows, the main structure remained remarkably intact.
The family’s neighbors, however, were not so lucky, with footage showing the home being ripped apart, while huge structures and even vehicles were also swept along by the current.
Incredibly, the family inside were eventually rescued, with clips surfacing online of their amazing evacuation.
“We saw death very closely. Death was staring at every one of us,” one of the survivors, Laxmi Pandey Pyakurel, 42, told the UK Telegraph.
“We thought these were our final moments. I told everyone that if we had to die, we would die together.”
The mother gathered with her family on their balcony as they watched the floodwaters tear through their neighborhood.
She stood with her husband, their two children, her parents-in-law and a neighbor as the Trishuli River surged, with seemingly everything, apart from their house, destroyed in its wake.
Her seven-year-old son, Prayan, had just left for school 15 minutes earlier, while her 11-year-old daughter, Pradisha, was preparing to leave with her grandmother, Bhakta Kumari, 65.
Hearing the sudden commotion, Laxmi and her husband, Prakash Pandey Pyakurel, 45, pulled their daughter and mother-in-law back towards the house.
Water suddenly cascaded into their house, with the family moving as high as they could and beginning to shout for help.
“We were frightened. We prepared ourselves, these are the end times. I told everyone that we have to die together,” she said.
The mom said she had tried calling relatives to say their last goodbyes, but the telephone signal made communication difficult.
“They could not understand a word,” she said.
Floodwaters battered the house from all angles while the family remained trapped for hours.
“As the floodwater was hitting the house, we were thinking we would get swept away along with it,” Laxmi recalled.
“With every pounding our hearts will sink. We held together with the hope to live, but were preparing ourselves to die together.”
The family prayed for their survival and for the chance to see Prayan again.
Thankfully, the family and little Prayan – whose school was in a safe area – survived.
The death toll has surpassed 900, with an estimated 4,500 people still missing in the disaster, including 43 Australians.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said authorities remained hopeful of rescuing the Australians still unaccounted for and returning them home safely.
One of those people, 26-year-old solo traveller Cara Severino, has been found safe and sound so far.
“Our embassy staff in Kathmandu are working around the clock, and we’ve actually sent an additional 12 personnel to Kathmandu to assist,” Thistlethwaite said.
“Yesterday, our ambassador in Kathmandu spent most of the day sitting with and talking to the relatives of Australians who are in the region, hoping their loved ones will be returned safely. So we’re doing everything we can to try and locate them.”
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