Human Stories amid the Nepal-Tibet Flood Catastrophe

On Friday, a couple from the San Francisco Bay Area shared their harrowing experience with CBS News from their pilgrimage to Tibet. Earlier in the week, they faced what they believed would be their last moments, as a massive wall of water loomed toward them.

“I knew I was going to die,” recounted Anjana Raja, reflecting on the incident. Catastrophic flash flooding hit the mountainous region bordering Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday when a Himalayan glacier collapsed. This disaster unleashed torrents of water into the valleys, resulting in nearly 600 fatalities and leaving around 2,500 people missing. Search and rescue teams continue to hunt for survivors.

The U.S. State Department reports about 90 Americans might be among the missing.

The avalanche of water first struck Timure, a Nepali village near where Raja and her partner, Pattabiraman Venkatesan, were traveling by tour bus on their inaugural pilgrimage to Tibet. Tibet is an autonomous Chinese region bordering Nepal. As the couple’s bus crossed Nepal’s Rasuwa District, near the Nepal-China border, they mistook the approaching flood for a massive black tsunami.

“It’s like 60, 70 feet, it looked like a tsunami, but dark black,” explained Venkatesan. “… I could see this monster thing coming down.” Uncertain if it was water or a forest fire, the couple barely had time to react. Raja grabbed Venkatesan’s collar, urging him to “Run,” as they fled the bus.

Thousands desperately tried to escape the flood’s clutches, with cellphone footage showing some engulfed by the torrent, while others reached safety higher up to be rescued. Raja and Venkatesan sprinted up a flight of steps, aiming for higher ground. “Along the way, you know, houses were coming down,” Venkatesan described. Raja was haunted by screams below as people were swept away.

Guided to a flat mountaintop, the couple endured a steep, perilous climb. “So tall up, I don’t even know how we climbed,” said Raja. “It was really hard.” Venkatesan detailed the path as “narrow and so slippery,” laden with mud, stones, and rocks. That night, they sheltered in a goat shed with other survivors, including locals and tourists, before being airlifted out the next day.

Remarkably, their entire tour bus escaped the flood unharmed. “The fact that we survived is nothing short of a miracle,” said Venkatesan. The ordeal has deepened their gratitude for life.

“It strengthens my thought on life,” Venkatesan reflected. “Be good, do good, think good, and leave the rest to whoever is above us. That’s all I can say.”

This story highlights the ongoing challenges in the aftermath of flooding in Nepal and Tibet, affecting countless individuals.