27/08/2026
Tourist Shares Narrow Escape at Tibet-Nepal Border Just a Day Before Catastrophe
A tourist travelling from Moscow through China to Nepal was on her return journey when she crossed the Tibet-Nepal border on August 25 — just one day before a devastating flood/GLOF swept through the area, washing away the customs facility and nearby settlements.
She said the border normally closes at 2:30 pm, but on that day, officials kept it open for around two additional hours to allow the remaining tourists to cross. Her group was the last one to pass through customs at around 4:30 pm. She said they now feel extremely fortunate, as had the border closed at its usual time, they would have been forced to stay overnight in the area and wait until the morning of August 26, the day the catastrophe stuck.
The tourist recalled that the village where they had stayed just the previous night was later swept away by the disaster. She also expressed deep sorrow for the drivers, local residents, guesthouse staff and others they had met during their journey, many of whom were caught in the catastrophe.
“Thanks God, we're alive,” she wrote, describing the experience as something she could hardly put into words. Her account highlights just how close their journey came to the devastating event that struck the following day.
