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A group of 28 pilgrims, including eight members of a family from Visakhapatnam, had a narrow escape during the flash floods in Nepal after their journey was delayed by several hours.
The pilgrims, including Visakhapatnam District Level Development Authority (DLDA) chairman Gadu Venkatappa, had travelled from Bhagalpur Airport on August 24 through a private travel operator for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. According to Venkatappa's brother Garudappal Naidu, the group reached Kathmandu but remained there for three days due to delays in obtaining visas. After receiving the necessary documents, they resumed their journey towards Manasarovar.
Speaking to the media, Garudappal said that the group stopped on the way to use a restroom and have tea, which delayed them briefly. Soon after, when their vehicle was about 50-100 metres from a bridge near the China border, a landslide struck the area.
A tempo driver travelling from the opposite direction alerted the pilgrims, following which their bus driver immediately moved the vehicle to higher ground and took the passengers to safety.
The pilgrims reportedly witnessed three other buses being swept away in front of them. The passengers of those buses have not yet been traced.
After the incident, Venkatappa contacted his family and informed them that the group was safe.
Garudappal said the family was initially terrified after witnessing people being swept away and learning about the scale of the disaster through news reports. The pilgrims later regained their composure and shared details of the incident with their families.
Meanwhile, Nepal police issued a fresh flood alert on Friday, August 28, and evacuated people from areas around the Trishuli River. The death toll from the catastrophic flash floods and mudslides in Nepal has risen to at least 616 to 626 people, according to local police reports.
