A San Francisco Bay Area couple on a pilgrimage to Tibet recounted their terrifying experience of nearly being swept away by a flash flood. Anjana Raja and her partner, Pattabiraman Venkatesan, feared they were going to die as a mountain of water rushed toward them.
The disaster struck a border area between Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. A collapsed glacier in the Himalayas caused torrents of water to pour into nearby valleys, resulting in nearly 600 fatalities. An estimated 2,500 people remain missing as rescue teams continue their search for survivors. Approximately 90 Americans are reported missing, according to the U.S. State Department.
“I knew I was going to die,” Raja told CBS News.
The avalanche of water initially hit Timure, a Nepali village. Raja and Venkatesan, aboard a tour bus in Nepal’s Rasuwa District near the Nepal-China border, witnessed what appeared to be a tsunami. Venkatesan described the scene: “It looked like 60 or 70 feet high, a tsunami, but dark and black.” Initially, he thought the approaching mass was a forest fire.
Reacting immediately, Raja grabbed Venkatesan, urging him to run as they leapt from the bus. Thousands fled for their lives. Some cellphone videos captured people being engulfed, while others climbed to safety, eventually being rescued by air.
The couple sprinted up a steep path, aiming for higher ground. “Along the way, you know, houses were coming down,” Venkatesan recalled, describing the destruction. Raja heard the screams of those tragically caught in the waters. “I saw death right in front of my eyes,” she said.
A guide led survivors to a flat plateau at the top of a mountain. The climb was perilous. Raja referred to the ascent as “really hard,” while Venkatesan found it “narrow and so slippery,” battling through mud and stones.
Survivors, including the couple, spent the night in a goat shed. All passengers from their bus survived and were airlifted out the next day. “The fact that we survived is nothing short of a miracle,” Venkatesan expressed, reflecting on their ordeal.
Venkatesan shared how the experience has deepened their appreciation for life. “Be good, do good, think good, and leave the rest to whoever is above us,” he advised.
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