Italian Survivor Recounts Terrifying Nepal Flood: 'A Huge Cloud of Brown Coming Towards Us'

Valentina Piccinini, an Italian survivor of the Nepal flood, recounted her harrowing escape. She was traveling with eleven others on a bus heading to Mount Kailash for a pilgrimage when the disaster struck. "We heard a huge roar and saw an immense cloud of brown coming toward us," she told ANSA. "When we realized it was an avalanche, the driver opened the doors, and we fled on foot."

“

We heard a huge roar and saw an immense cloud of brown coming toward us. When we realized it was an avalanche, the driver opened the doors, and we fled on foot.

Piccinini described stumbling and losing her slipper as she descended, hearing her name being called but seeing only the approaching brown cloud. "Without realizing it, I went in the opposite direction of the others. I fled into the mountains, climbing as high as I could," she said. "Without the help of the Nepalis, I would not be here now. My partner Stefano and our guide Tashi were convinced I was dead. Tashi was my guardian angel; he risked his life for me several times."

Her partner, Stefano Lotumolo, also shared his survival story. "I'm alive! I still don't believe it, but I'm alive," he wrote on Instagram. He described being in one of the areas most affected by the flood, showing the devastation of the village of Timore, near the Nepal-China border. "The waves of mud and debris reached incredible heights, like scenes you see in movies."

“

Without the help of the Nepalis, I would not be here now. My partner Stefano and our guide Tashi were convinced I was dead. Tashi was my guardian angel; he risked his life for me several times.

Michele Piccinini, Valentina's father, expressed relief mixed with sorrow for the many others affected. "We are still a bit shaken. To say we are happy might not be appropriate, given what unfortunately happened to so many others. Let's just say it went well," he said. Valentina had contacted her family shortly after the flood to reassure them of her safety.

“

I'm alive! I still don't believe it, but I'm alive.

Valentina had been in Nepal with her partner, whom she met during a humanitarian project in Tanzania. Due to weather conditions that hampered rescue efforts, she was only extracted from the flood-affected area the following day and taken to Kathmandu to prepare new travel documents for her return to Italy. Other Italian tourists, Giovanni Fassini and Marco Lombardi, also prepared to return to Italy after their holiday was disrupted by the devastating floods.

“

The waves of mud and debris reached incredible heights, like scenes you see in movies.