CCTV footage released on April 29 shows the moment that the 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit the Nepali capital of Kathmandu on April 25. The footage, taken outside Kathmandu mall, shows a wall falling into the middle of the road as people flee the scene. Credit: YouTube/Setopati Online.

THEY say in life, timing is everything.

And for this lucky taxi passenger, timing saved his life.

The man is lucky to be alive after narrowly — and by narrowly, we mean NARROWLY — avoiding death as the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on Saturday.

As CCTV footage emerged of the moment the ground began to shake in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, one man’s miraculous story emerged as an extraordinary tale of survival.

In the footage, a “trailer taxi” is seen passing a temple just before it topples to the ground.

As the driver realises what’s about to happen, he abandons his vehicle and his passenger as the temple begins to collapse overhead.

With the driver gone, the passenger catapults himself within a split-second of the temple collapsing on top of him, and is thrown forward by the force of the impact.

When the dust clears, the man appears dazed as onlookers gather to help and drag him away from danger.

The driver, on the other hand, appears unharmed as he is seen running out of the camera angle as the temple topples.