2 days ago
Saree Helps 21 Tamil Nadu Pilgrims Escape Nepal Flood
Twenty-one pilgrims from Tamil Nadu were traveling through Nepal when a sudden flood began.
Water, mud, rocks and debris rushed down the mountainside.
Their bus stopped at a bend, which helped it avoid being swept away.
The pilgrims left the bus and tried to climb a very slippery slope.
Some people kept sliding back down, especially several of the women.
Poonguzhali used her saree like a rope to help them climb.
The group also used a metal cable and pulled one another upward.
They later waited on higher ground before being rescued and taken home.
A flash flood and mudslide struck near Timure, Nepal, on August 26, sweeping mud, rocks and water through the Mount Kailash-Mansarovar route.
Twenty-one Tamil Nadu pilgrims escaped their bus and climbed a steep, slippery embankment after nearby vehicles were swept away.
Poonguzhali lowered her saree to pilgrims below, who used it with a metal cable while others pulled them to safety.
The group reached higher ground, received limited food and water from local residents, and waited roughly a day and a half for evacuation.
Nepalese and Indian authorities coordinated their evacuation by helicopter through Kathmandu and New Delhi before they reached Chennai late on August 28.
- Who
- Twenty-one pilgrims from Tamil Nadu traveling during the Mount Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage.
- What
- They escaped a flash flood and mudslide by climbing an embankment and using a saree and metal cable to help one another.
- Where
- The incident occurred near Timure in Nepal’s Rasuwa region, near the Nepal-Tibet border, on the route from Syabrubesi toward Kerung.
- When
- The flood struck on August 26; the pilgrims reached Chennai late on August 28.
- Why
- They left their bus because floodwater, mud, rocks and debris made remaining near the road dangerous.
Key facts
- People rescued
- 21 Tamil Nadu pilgrims
- Incident date
- August 26
- Incident location
- Timure area, Rasuwa region, near Nepal’s border with Tibet
- Pilgrimage
- Mount Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra
- Improvised rescue tool
- Poonguzhali’s saree, used with a metal cable
- Time awaiting help
- Approximately a day and a half; some reports described nearly two days
- Evacuation
- The pilgrims were evacuated by helicopter, taken through Kathmandu and New Delhi, and returned to Chennai
- Nepal disaster figures
- Authorities cited 903 deaths and 4,247 missing people in the wider flash-flood disaster
Quotes
Vijaya Bhuvaneswari
A Tamil Nadu pilgrim who described the group’s escape
“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.”
firstpost.com
“Rocks and mud were rolling towards us like a tsunami wave, rising to a height of about 70 to 80 feet.”
firstpost.com
Sources
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