I saw death right in front of my eyes: Indian-American couple describes escape from Nepal floods that killed over 600

Anjana Raja and Pattabiraman Venkatesan, a couple from the San Francisco Bay Area, were on a pilgrimage to Tibet when their journey took a terrifying turn near the Nepal-China border. The couple recalled how a sudden rush of mud and debris forced them to flee their tour bus and scramble toward higher ground.

Speaking to CBS News’ and CNN, Ramy Inocencio, Raja said the group was travelling through Nepal’s Rasuwa District when she noticed the bus driver suddenly leave the main road and drive uphill. At first, she did not understand the reason for the change.

When Raja looked toward the front of the bus, she realised that several people were no longer inside. The driver, guide and other helpers had already jumped out and were running. Moments later, she saw a huge mass of earth and debris, which she estimated was about 60 to 70 feet high, moving toward the bus.


The passengers initially struggled to understand what they were seeing. The couple said they were unsure whether the rushing material had been triggered by an earthquake, avalanche or another event. But they quickly realised that it was dangerously close.

‘It looked like a tsunami, but dark’

Venkatesan described the scene as resembling a dark wave rushing toward them. “It looked like a tsunami, but dark,” he said.

Raja said the mass appeared dusty, while Venkatesan said it looked almost like fire. Raja described it as muddy water, but neither could determine exactly what was approaching them.

The couple estimated that the mass was around 50 feet from where their bus had been parked. With little time to react, their escape was helped by the fact that the bus door had been left open.

Couple raced uphill

Raja said she grabbed her husband by the collar and told him to run. The couple immediately began climbing toward higher ground.

Venkatesan recalled that after they had climbed around 10 feet, he could see the enormous mass moving toward them. They continued running as people directed them toward steps leading to a higher level.

As she climbed, Raja witnessed another frightening moment. She said the first police base camp was swept away in front of her as the rushing material engulfed the area.

According to Raja, the structure and the people there disappeared almost instantly. She recalled seeing the roof and everything around it being washed away.

The couple continued running, with no time to stop or assess what was happening around them. Their focus was simply on reaching safer ground.

‘I knew I was going to die’

Raja said the experience made her believe she was about to die. “I knew I was going to die,” she recalled.

The couple said they had to cover around 500 feet toward higher ground within seconds. Throughout the escape, Raja's attention remained on her husband.

She said she repeatedly grabbed him and made sure he stayed close to her.

“I just kept grabbing him. I wanted him in my life. That's it,” she said.

Pilgrimage turned into fight for survival

The couple had travelled to the region as part of a pilgrimage to Tibet, but their journey quickly became a fight for survival. Caught in the path of the rushing mud and debris, they had only moments to react.

Their account also reflects the confusion that can accompany a sudden disaster. Neither initially knew whether they were witnessing an avalanche, an earthquake-related event or something else. Their immediate response, however, was clear: get out of the bus and move uphill.

The open bus door gave Raja and Venkatesan a chance to escape. They followed the steps toward higher ground and kept climbing as the debris moved through the area.

For Venkatesan, the approaching mass resembled a dark tsunami and then fire. For Raja, one of the most frightening moments was watching the police base camp disappear in front of her.

The couple survived by continuing to run. What had begun as a pilgrimage became a life-or-death escape, leaving them with a vivid memory of the sudden wall of mud and debris and the desperate climb that followed.