US couple reveal how last minute decision saved them from Nepal floods that killed 1,400 people

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A couple who went on a pilgrimage to Nepal have revealed how a last minute decision spared them from the country’s deadly flash floods in August.

Mita and Hemant Parikh from Suwanee, Georgia, were visiting the South Asia country with a group of American families in the days before disaster struck.

But on the spur of the moment they left their group behind on the day the floods hit to go on a detour to see Mount Everest, they told CBS Atlanta.

“Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world,” Hemant told the news outlet. ”And I said, at least, I cannot climb, but I can go and see from a distance.

“Usually we argue, or tickets are expensive — no, let's not go,” Mita said, on their decision to take a detour. “But I don't know why we both agreed.”

The border between Nepal and Tibet was hit by a catastrophic flash flood on August 26, likely triggered by a collapsed glacier. It came on rapidly with no warning, leaving more than 1,400 dead and 5,000 missing including at least 80 U.S. citizens.

No-one else from the couple’s 47-strong international group has been found, and their seven guides are also still unaccounted for.

One month on from the catastrophe, their fortunate decision has left them wondering why they were spared.

“That’s what we talk to each other every single day,” Mita told CBS News. “Why did we decide this way?”

A critical area struck by the flood was near Mount Kailash, one of the most holy sites in Hinduism. The Parikhs were part of a group making a pilgrimage to the mountain, a trip they had been planning for 15 years.

“Everybody has a bucket list, but this bucket list, you don’t choose it,” said Mita. “As soon as I close my eyes, I see Kailash, and I see the people.

“Why God chose us to live. So there has to be some purpose, right?”

Nepal’s finance minister has said that the death toll of the floods could end up nearing the toll of the 2015 earthquake in the region which took over 9,000 lives.

The country has estimated that reconstruction will cost nearly $5 billion given the scale of the devastation which wiped away agricultural land, bridges, roads, 12 hydropower projects and entire villages.

The UN has estimated that fixing building damages alone will cost $158 million, and this does not account for all of the other work, per ABC.

The subject of how to fund the damage, and how much money wealthier countries can or should spend on aid, is expected to come up at the UN General Assembly in New York this week.