Russian traveler Irina Ulgegn has survived a violent flash flood on the border between Nepal and China after a mountain slope shielded her bus.
According to Russian television network REN TV, Ulgegn was traveling with her friend Ekaterina when torrential floodwaters swept through a mountain gorge where their vehicle was parked.
The border region between Nepal and China features deep Himalayan gorges and steep river valleys where mountain roads often run alongside fast-flowing rivers. Ulgegn said that their bus was stopped behind a rocky mountain slope in the gorge, which unexpectedly sheltered the vehicle from the direct impact of the sudden wall of water.
Sudden torrent in the gorge
Ulgegn described seeing the flood begin with what looked like a dam bursting in the distance. She said black debris flew through the air as the river instantly turned dark and murky, shooting upward into the air like fireworks as people around the site began screaming and running for safety.
Ekaterina, who had woken Ulgegn during the initial commotion, shouted at her friend to get out through the window. Ulgegn admitted that she initially misunderstood the urgency and thought her companion wanted to show her a scenic view, leading her to pick up her phone and start recording video.
Ulgegn realized the danger only after seeing fellow passengers frantically rushing out of the vehicle. She then exited the bus and joined a large crowd of people climbing up a staircase built into the mountain slope to reach higher ground.
Escape from the bus
Ekaterina said that she decided to run after seeing the tour group's cook jump out of a window while a panicked crowd surged past. She screamed at Ulgegn to exit through the window, grabbed her backpack in one hand and her shoes in the other, and fled barefoot into the confusion.
Ekaterina added that she could not recall anything that happened immediately after stepping out of the bus, including the rescue staircase. Her memory resumed only as she was scrambling up rocks and grass further up the mountainside, at which point panic set in as she looked around and wondered where the rest of the group had gone.
International tourists stranded
The bus was carrying an international group of travelers, including tourists from Italy, India, China, and Nepal. Ulgegn noted that she and Ekaterina were the only Russian citizens present in the immediate area. Ulgegn also confirmed that she lost her passport during the chaotic evacuation.
Overland routes connecting Nepal and China are vital travel corridors through the Himalayas, but the mountain terrain is highly susceptible to severe weather, landslips, and rapid flooding during heavy rainfall. Local emergency services and tour groups frequently rely on mountain shelter points when traversing narrow canyon passes.
