4 days ago
Tea Break Helps Five Chhattisgarh Friends Survive Nepal Floods
Five friends from Chhattisgarh were visiting Nepal in a rented car.
They stopped to drink tea on August 26.
While they were sitting there, a bridge ahead was washed away by floods.
They saw cars, bodies and other objects being carried by the Trishuli River.
The friends moved to higher ground and slept in their car.
Local people, police and officials helped keep them safe.
They talked with their families using the internet and an Indian government helpline.
They later left Nepal safely, and local women security personnel tied rakhis on their wrists as a comforting gesture.
Five friends from Raipur stopped for tea in Malekhu on August 26, narrowly avoiding a flood-hit bridge.
They saw cars, bodies and debris being swept through the Trishuli River as flooding devastated parts of Nepal.
The men sheltered on higher ground for two days and spent nights in their rented car amid fears of more flooding.
Local residents, police and administrators assisted them, while an Indian government helpline helped them contact their families.
They left Nepal on August 28 and returned home after witnessing widespread destruction and people searching for missing relatives.
- Who
- Narayan Sen, Dinesh Ojha, Prem Singh Jagat, Yatendra Prakash and Dinesh Singh Thakur, five friends from Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
- What
- They survived Nepal flash floods after a tea stop delayed them before a bridge was washed away.
- Where
- They were in Malekhu town in Nepal’s Dhading district, near the Trishuli River and about 50 km from Pashupatinath Temple.
- When
- They stopped for tea on August 26, left Nepal on August 28 and returned home on Saturday.
- Why
- Their tea break kept them from reaching the bridge shortly before it was destroyed by flooding, according to the friends.
Key facts
- Group
- Five men from Raipur’s Mana Camp area, aged between 50 and 60
- Nepal trip
- They left Raipur on August 21 and reached Nepal the next day
- Tea stop
- A hotel in Malekhu at approximately 9:30–10 a.m. on August 26
- Flood danger
- A bridge ahead was washed away, while the Trishuli River carried cars, bodies and debris
- Shelter
- The group moved to higher ground and spent two days in Malekhu, sleeping in their rented car
- Assistance
- An Indian hotel owner, local residents, police and administrators helped the group
- Communication
- Internet service and an Indian government helpline helped them share their location with families
- Related reports
- One report said two Chhattisgarh women doctors remained missing, while another missing person had contacted family members
Quotes
Dinesh Singh Thakur
One of the five Chhattisgarh travelers who escaped the Nepal floods
“Just a few minutes later, as we were still sipping our tea, there was a sudden commotion in the locality, with people running helter-skelter. We then saw the fury of the Trishuli River nearby carrying human bodies, cars and heavy materials that came in its path.”
deccanchronicle.com
“We saw cars being swept away in the Trishuli river. Bodies and a lot of other things were also being carried away by the current. We were scared. There was always a fear that the flood situation might worsen.”
NDTV
theprint.in
Sources
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