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“We were incredibly lucky,” says Swiss survivor of Nepal floods

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • Swiss pilgrim Natalia Rjumin-Girardet says a small concrete staircase helped her group escape a massive wave of water and mud in Nepal.
  • The group survived after a glacial collapse triggered a devastating flash flood along the China-Nepal border on Aug. 26.
  • More than 1,100 bodies have been recovered and nearly 4,500 people remain missing, according to the latest figures cited.

Natalia Rjumin-Girardet saw what looked like a mountain emerge from the fog. It was a massive wave of water and mud rushing toward the bus carrying her and eight other pilgrims in Nepal.

The 70-year-old Swiss yoga teacher was travelling along a road beside the Bhotekoshi River during a spiritual journey to Mount Kailash in Tibet. She told AFP that the group had perhaps one or two minutes to escape after the cook jumped from the bus window and another passenger opened the door.

Suddenly, I saw the cook jump out of the bus window. Someone else opened the door and I saw a huge mountain... in the fog.

· Natalia Rjumin-GirardetShe described the first moments of the flash flood from inside the bus.

A small concrete staircase stood beside the vehicle. The pilgrims ran up it and then continued up a hillside, acting in a state of shock. “Those stairs saved us,” Rjumin-Girardet said. “We were incredibly lucky.”

I saw everyone start running, so I started running too. I think we had a minute, maybe two, to get out of the bus.

· Natalia Rjumin-GirardetShe recalled how quickly the group had to escape.

From higher ground, she watched houses, cars and buses disappear beneath the torrent. The hotel where the group had spent the night, along with the entire village of Syabrubesi, had been destroyed. The flood carried freezing water, rocks and debris after a glacial collapse on Aug. 26. More than 1,100 bodies have been recovered, while nearly 4,500 people remain missing, according to the latest figures cited.

The survivors spent their first night in a small barn on a hilltop, huddled together in cold rain. A helicopter evacuated them the next morning, and military personnel later transferred them to Kathmandu. Rjumin-Girardet, who had lost her phone on the bus, eventually reached her family through a friend who had her sister’s number.

Those stairs saved us. We were incredibly lucky.

· Natalia Rjumin-GirardetShe credited the concrete staircase beside the bus with helping the group reach safety.

The group now considers Aug. 26 a date marking “a rebirth.” Rjumin-Girardet said they saw their survival as a miracle and attributed it to “divine providence.” She had not yet decided whether to return to Switzerland.

It was divine providence that allowed the group to stay alive.

· Natalia Rjumin-GirardetShe described how the survivors understood their escape from the flood.
About this summary

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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