3 days ago
Basirhat Couple Recount Narrow Escape From Nepal Floods
Anukul and Reba were travelling in Nepal with other pilgrims.
They were going toward the China border as part of a journey to Mansarovar.
A sudden flash flood began near the road they were using.
The driver saw signs of danger and quickly turned the vehicle around.
A tour manager also learned that a bridge ahead had been destroyed.
The group returned to Kathmandu and later travelled toward India.
Some people flew home, while 12 travelled by train from Raxaul to Howrah.
Anukul and Reba were thankful to be safe but saddened by the people who lost their lives and homes.
Retired teachers Anukul Poddar and Reba Roy Poddar returned to Basirhat after narrowly escaping Nepal’s August 26 flash floods.
Their group of Bengali and South Indian pilgrims was travelling from Kathmandu toward an immigration centre near the China border for the Mansarovar Yatra.
The driver turned back after seeing flood signs and receiving warnings that a bridge ahead had been washed away.
Reports differ on the distance from danger, placing the turnaround either about 300 metres away or roughly 1.5 hours from Rasuwa.
The Bengal tourists returned through Birgunj and Raxaul, with 12 travelling by Mithila Express to Howrah; another Basirhat couple on the trip remained untraced.
- Who
- Retired teachers Anukul Poddar and Reba Roy Poddar, along with Bengali and South Indian pilgrims travelling in their group.
- What
- They narrowly escaped a flash flood after their driver reversed or turned back before reaching the devastated area.
- Where
- The group was travelling from Kathmandu toward an immigration centre near Nepal’s China border, near the Rasuwa area, before returning through Birgunj, Raxaul and Howrah.
- When
- The flood struck on August 26; the couple reached Basirhat on Sunday. The group had left Bengal on August 21.
- Why
- The driver reacted to cascading water and warnings about the disaster, while a document-verification delay reportedly held the group back by about 15 minutes.
Reported account
Alternative account
How close the group was to danger
Reported account
One report quoted Anukul Poddar as saying the nearest devastation was barely 300 metres away.
Alternative account
Other reports said the group turned back from roughly one-and-a-half hours’ driving distance from Rasuwa.
What prompted the turnaround
Reported account
The driver was described as receiving warnings from other drivers and being helped by a roughly 15-minute document-verification delay.
Alternative account
Another account said the driver personally saw water cascading down a hillside, while the tour manager later learned that a bridge had been washed away.
Size of the travelling group
Reported account
One report described 37 tourists, comprising 20 from Telangana and 17 from Bengal.
Alternative account
Other reports referred to a group of at least 30 tourists or specifically the 17-member Bengal pilgrim contingent.
Key facts
- Pilgrimage
- The group was travelling for the Mansarovar Yatra and planned to cross into Tibet on August 27.
- Flood date
- The flash flood struck on August 26 in north-central Nepal, including the Rasuwa area.
- Group size
- Reports described the Bengal contingent as 17 pilgrims and the wider group as either at least 30 or 37 tourists, including 20 from Telangana.
- Driver’s action
- The driver moved the vehicle to higher ground and turned back after seeing water cascading down the mountainside and learning of danger ahead.
- Reported proximity
- One account said the vehicle was barely 300 metres from the devastation; another said the group turned back about 1.5 hours from Rasuwa.
- Return journey
- Five Bengal tourists reportedly flew home, while 12, including the Poddars, travelled via Birgunj and Raxaul by train.
- Untraced travellers
- Another Basirhat couple, Swapan Mondal and Mou Mondal, who travelled with a different agency, remained untraced according to two reports.
Quotes
The Nepal tour driver
Driver who warned the tourist group and took them to safety
“We had set out around 6:30 am in a convoy of vehicles carrying Bengali and South Indian tourists. About two hours into the journey, our driver spotted water cascading down a hillside at a distance, followed by what looked like white smoke moving down a river”
theprint.in
telegraphindia.com
“We were brought from the hotel to Kathmandu. After that, arrangements were made for us to return home. We thank everyone who helped us. By God’s blessings, we have been able to return safely.”
thestatesman.com
Sources
Retired Bengal couple returns from Nepal, recounts narrow escape
Basirhat teacher couple survive Nepal flash-flood disaster, return home
‘People were running, children crying’: Bengal couple recount Nepal flood escape by a whisker
Teacher and wife narrowly escape floods as 15-minute delay, alert driver save couple’s lives
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