21 Chennai Pilgrims Survive Nepal Floods, Escape Through Muddy Terrain

Twenty-one pilgrims from Chennai who survived flash floods and landslides near the Nepal-Tibet border reached the city on Friday night after being evacuated from the affected area. The pilgrims, who were stranded after floodwaters and falling boulders blocked the road, described how they crawled through mud and thorny shrubs to reach safety, with a saree lowered from a muddy slope helping them escape.

However, another group of 49 pilgrims from Chennai and others in their three-bus entourage were still missing on Saturday. Residents of Murugu Nagar in Velachery, Navu Kabirdas and his wife, Vijaya Bhuvaneswari, said they felt they had been given a second chance at life.

Bus breakdown saves pilgrims as floodwaters rush in

A Kumbakonam-based organisation organised three buses carrying 57 passengers, including the couple, through Rasuwa. Their bus, which was the second in the convoy, became stuck in mud and had to stop briefly for repairs. In the end, those few minutes saved them, according to Bhuvaneswari.

"We heard a loud noise like a bomb explosion, and stones started to fall on the van," Kabirdas recalled. Then, the floodwaters suddenly rushed in.

Bhuvaneswari said that she could not bear to watch the bus behind them tilt any longer. When their Nepalese driver realised they were in danger, he ordered everyone to get out and run uphill before fleeing the vehicle. The travellers followed.

Pilgrims use saree to escape muddy terrain

The 21 survivors, the majority of whom were over 50, had to climb a muddy incline that was about one storey high. They kept tripping and falling. A group member who had reached the top, Poongodi, put on her jumper, removed her saree and lowered it towards the others.

“We held tightly on to both the saree and a cable that was there and climbed up,” Bhuvaneswari said. “Finally, one woman 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.”

The pilgrims departed Syabrubesi around 8 am for Chinese immigration, according to Sathya, a Panchayat Union School headmistress from Kanchipuram district. When they first noticed what appeared to be a cloud of dust, their bus was in the centre.

“Rocks and mud were rolling towards us like a tsunami wave, rising to a height of about 70 to 80 feet,” she said. “We had seen things like this only in English films.”

Pilgrims trek through muddy terrain to reach evacuation site

With dirt already covering their ankles, the passengers fled through the driver's side. "There was no way to climb the mountain. We would slip down five feet if we climbed four feet," Sathya said.

The group was given water and crackers when they arrived at an Armed Police Force camp. They sent a picture to Tamil Nadu as evidence of their safety through people who still had mobile phone service.

During the climb, they came across a man who was stuck in the mud and pleading for help. According to Bhuvaneswari, they informed rescue workers, who subsequently came to his aid.

After being transported to safety in a military helicopter, they passed through New Delhi and Kathmandu on their way to Chennai. Some have misplaced their passports and other documents.

“The vehicle travelling with us was swept away by the water behind us,” one survivor said, thanking the Nepal government, Nepal Army, Indian Embassy and Tamil Nadu government. “For us, this was truly a miraculous journey.”

36 pilgrims remain unreachable as rescue efforts continue

Out of the 57 passengers, 36 were still unreachable on Saturday. The 49-person Chennai party that was last seen inside the Chinese side of the Gyirong Port immigration building just before the flood on Wednesday is still unaccounted for.

Over 400 Tamil Nadu residents had travelled to Nepal, according to Tamil Nadu Minister A Rajmohan, while 90 were still unreachable. Officials had not yet made public a breakdown reconciling the larger figure with the 85 people absent from the two designated contingents.

Ministers Aadhav Arjuna, Rajmohan, K Thennarasu and R Vinoth set up camp in New Delhi to oversee the operation at Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's request. According to the authorities, efforts are still being made to determine the whereabouts of those who remain unaccounted for and to help survivors who have misplaced their passports and other documents.