{
  "id": 3967846,
  "title": "'Ran for our lives': Tales of survival from Nepal-China disaster",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/ran-for-our-lives-tales-of-survival-from-nepal-china-disaster-3967846",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-28T12:49:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/08/1520900/ran-our-lives-tales-survival-nepal-china-disaster"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NUWAKOT, Nepal: Survivors of the deadly floods on the Nepal-China border recount their harrowing experiences. Some ran for their lives while others narrowly avoided disaster. A glacier collapse unleashed a tsunami-like flow of water and debris. Over 1,400 people remain unaccounted for, with more than 550 dead.\n\nSivaranjani Muthunathan was on a bus en route from India to the Chinese border with 56 others when the disaster struck. \"Suddenly engulfed us\" is how she described the torrents of water and debris surging towards them. Vehicles were swept away, leaving survivors scrambling to safety.\n\nVijayabhuvaneshwari, a 53-year-old pilgrim, recounted how each vehicle in front of and behind their bus vanished. As they climbed a hill, they heard what sounded like explosions – rocks and boulders crashing. Her husband used her sari as a rope to lift several older passengers.\n\nWorkers at a dam project along the Trishuli valley described a disaster that unfolded with terrifying speed. More people died than were rescued. One worker survived by being in a tunnel when the flood hit. Another said the force of the water swept everything away, leaving only the river.\n\nAn engineer working on a hydroelectric project witnessed the disaster firsthand. \"Only the river remained\" was his description of the aftermath. One residential camp was completely washed away, while another remained as a shelter for survivors.\n\nGorakh Khatka, an engineer who lived near the epicenter, said all he had to react to was 20 seconds before mud and water rose 20 meters. They ran for their lives and spent more than 48 hours on a hill before rescue teams arrived.",
  "summary": "NUWAKOT, Nepal: Some survivors of the deadly floods on the Nepal-China border ran for their lives, others narrowly missed disaster, but all were eyewitnesses to a major calamity and its aftermath.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}