Couple recounts surviving deadly Nepal flood: "I knew I was going to die"
A California couple were in a Nepali village when an avalanche of powerful waters ripped down from the high Himalayas toward them.
Two travelers from the San Francisco Bay Area who were embarking on a pilgrimage to Tibet recounted their harrowing experience during a catastrophic flash flood in Nepal earlier this week. Anjana Raja and Pattabiraman Venkatesan, the couple, were making their maiden journey to Tibet when they witnessed a colossal wall of water bearing down upon them. "I knew I was going to die," Raja recalled, her voice trembling with fear. Both of them leaped from the tour bus as the floodwaters surged forward.
The catastrophic surge of water was triggered by the collapse of a glacier in the Himalayas, sending torrents of water rushing into the valleys below. Nepal's U.S. State Department estimated that 90 Americans among the missing could be among the nearly 600 people killed by the flood, with an additional 2,500 people thought to be missing.
The couple managed to climb a set of steps to climb to higher ground, escaping the whirlpool of death that swallowed many others. Along the way, houses collapsed, and Raja heard the cries of people being swept away in the flood. "I saw death right in front of my eyes," she said.
They reached a flat area atop a nearby mountain, where a guide led them to a goat shed, where they spent the night along with other survivors. The couple was then airlifted out the following day. They expressed their amazement at surviving such a perilous ordeal, describing it as a "miracle."
The experience left them with a newfound appreciation for life, urging them to lead lives of good deeds and positivity.
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