4 days ago
Saree Helps 21 Tamil Nadu Pilgrims Escape Nepal Floods
Twenty-one pilgrims from Tamil Nadu were traveling through Nepal when a sudden flood struck.
Their group had 57 people traveling in three buses.
The bus carrying the survivors stopped near a mountain road before water, mud and rocks rushed toward them.
The driver told everyone to get out and climb upward.
The travelers slipped through mud and thorny plants while trying to reach safety.
One woman used her saree as a rope to help older people climb the bank.
The group later walked to a helicopter evacuation point and was flown to safety.
They traveled through Kathmandu and New Delhi before reaching Chennai on Friday night.
Other people from their group and another Chennai group were still unreachable on Saturday.
Twenty-one pilgrims reached Chennai Friday after escaping flash floods near Nepal’s border with Tibet.
The survivors were part of a 57-member Kumbakonam tour traveling in three buses.
Floodwaters, mud, falling rocks and boulders forced passengers to flee and climb a muddy embankment.
A pilgrim’s saree was used as a rope to help older travelers reach safety.
Thirty-six members of the Kumbakonam group and a separate 49-member Chennai group remained unreachable Saturday.
- Who
- Twenty-one surviving pilgrims from a 57-member Kumbakonam-region tour group; a separate 49-member Chennai group was also reported unreachable.
- What
- The pilgrims escaped Nepal flash floods and were evacuated to India.
- Where
- The incident occurred near Rasuwa and the Nepal-Tibet border; the survivors were evacuated through Kathmandu and New Delhi to Chennai.
- When
- The flood struck Wednesday, according to the report; the 21 survivors reached Chennai Friday night, while others remained unreachable Saturday.
- Why
- Severe weather triggered flash floods, mudflows and falling rocks while the pilgrims were traveling toward Chinese immigration.
Key facts
- Survivors
- 21 pilgrims
- Original Kumbakonam group
- 57 people in three buses
- Unreachable from Kumbakonam group
- 36 people
- Separate Chennai group
- 49 pilgrims, also unreachable Saturday
- Evacuation
- Military helicopter, followed by travel through Kathmandu and New Delhi
- Arrival
- Chennai on Friday night
- Reported dangers
- Flash floods, mud, boulders, swept-away vehicles and steep mountain paths
Quotes
Sivaranjani Muthunathan
A 46-year-old pilgrim from the Kumbakonam group who recorded the flooding.
“We held tightly on to both the saree and a cable that was there and climbed up. Finally, one woman alone was unable to climb. We told her to tie the saree around her waist, and the people in our group held on to it and lifted her straight up.”
indianexpress.com
“Suddenly, we heard a loud noise like a bomb explosion, and stones began falling on the van. Then the floodwater came rushing in as though a dam had been opened.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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