As Nepal's flood death toll climbs past 734 and humanitarian needs grow, a Bay Area couple recounts the terrifying moments they escaped a wall of floodwater near the Nepal-China border, believing they would not survive.4 min readAug 30, 2026 11:58 AM IST First published on: Aug 30, 2026 at 11:55 AM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookAnjana Raja and Pattabiraman Venkatesan, a couple from the San Francisco Bay Area who were on a pilgrimage to Tibet. (Photo: AP/X/@CBSNews)Nepal’s flood disaster has claimed at least 734 lives, with nearly 3,000 people still unaccounted for, as rescue teams continue combing through debris and disrupted communities. Among those who narrowly escaped were a Bay Area couple who said they thought their lives were over as a wall of water bore down on their tour bus near the Nepal-China border. The country’s prime minister said 4,451 people have been rescued so far, while the scale of humanitarian need keeps growing.Among those caught in the disaster were foreign travelers on pilgrimages and treks near the Nepal-China border, including a couple from the San Francisco Bay Area who described a harrowing escape to CBS News.A drone view shows rescue workers inspect the area and damaged structures following recent flash flooding along the Trishuli River in the Devighat area of Nuwakot district, Nepal. (Photo: AP)Hundreds of the missing are foreign nationals who were in the area to work, trek or take part in a pilgrimage to a sacred peak on the Tibetan side of the border. Among a group of roughly 80 pilgrims from the Isha Foundation still unaccounted for, organizers said the missing came from 19 different countries.The United States has one of the largest numbers of citizens affected. The State Department said 90 Americans remain missing, with five rescued so far, and 22 of the missing pilgrims from the Isha Foundation group are American nationals.A sudden turnAnjana Raja and Pattabiraman Venkatesan, a couple from the San Francisco Bay Area on a pilgrimage to Tibet, told CBS News correspondent Ramy Inocencio that they had just passed Timure, heading toward the Nepal-China border, when what looked like a tsunami struck their tour bus Wednesday."I knew I was going to die."Anjana Raja and Pattabiraman Venkatesan, a couple from the San Francisco Bay Area who were on a pilgrimage to Tibet, told CBS News' @RamyInocencio that they had just passed Timure headed to the Nepal-China border when what looked like a tsunami… pic.twitter.com/2yRAEIHsTL— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 29, 2026Raja said she and her husband had been busy chatting with other travelers on the bus and weren’t looking ahead when the driver suddenly turned uphill off the main road. When she looked up, she said the driver, the guide and three other passengers near the front of the bus were gone, having jumped out. She said the door had been left open, which let her husband grab the driver by the collar and pull him back in to get everyone moving.Story continues below this adA wall of waterRaja said that within seconds, she saw what looked like a 60- to 70-foot wall of dark, muddy water bearing down on them, close enough that she estimated it was only about 50 feet from the bus. She said she first mistook it for smoke or dust, unsure at that moment whether it was fire, before realizing it was floodwater.Most Read1Drone video captured moment Himalayan glacier collapsed before deadly Nepal-Tibet floods2Video: Terrified family stuck on balcony surrounded by Nepal flash flood3World News Today Live Updates: Several injured after shots fired at rave party in Switzerland4Express in Nepal | Houses buried in mud, fields, orchards destroyed: ‘We have nothing left now’5Nepal Flash Flood Highlights: Death toll reaches 675, nearly 2,500 missing, says Nepal Disaster Management Authority6They went to Mount Kailash. Then calls stopped: Indian-Americans missing after Nepal floodsResidents carry their belongings salvaged from their damaged homes filled with mud and debris in Devighat, in Nepal’s Nuwakot district. (Photo: AP)The couple ran uphill, climbing higher with each step as the wall of water and debris closed in behind them. Raja said a police base camp nearby was washed out completely as they watched.‘I knew I was going to die’In that instant, with the wall of water closing in, Raja said she was certain her life was over. She said the thought was immediate and overwhelming: she was not going to survive.Also read Nepal floods: Before-and-after satellite images reveal scale of destructionThe couple eventually made it to a mountaintop, where they sheltered overnight in a goat shed with other survivors before being airlifted out the next day. Raja called their survival nothing short of a miracle.AdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementLive BlogToxic Box Office Collection Day 4 Updates: Yash film crosses Rs 250 cr mark, gets Kannada industry’s support18 minutes agoNepal Flash Flood LIVE News Updates: At least 734 killed, nearly 3,000 missing in deadly Nepal floods29 minutes agoIndia News Live Updates, 30 August | One militant killed, six injured in factional gunfight in Manipur32 minutes agoWorld News Today Live Updates: Several injured after shots fired at rave party in Switzerland39 minutes agoUGC NET June 2026 Result Highlights: Scorecards out for UGC-NET, Joint CSIR-NET17 hours agoAdvertisement