‘Please help…’: After Surat woman’s viral video, stranded Kedarnath pilgrims airlifted

At the end of the video, Panchal (left) turns the camera to show the plight of other pilgrims stranded in the surrounding area. (Special Arrangement)

A group of pilgrims including 14 people from Gujarat, who were left stranded on the Kedarnath hills for two days due to heavy rainfall and landslides, have been rescued purportedly after a 52-year-old Surat woman posted an emotional video on social media appealing for help.

In the video, Ranjanben Panchal appealed to Gujarat authorities to help her and others trapped in Kedarnath. After the video went viral on social media, the authorities in Uttarakhand airlifted the trapped pilgrims using a helicopter, ending their two-day ordeal amid tough mountain conditions and rain.

“I am Ranjan Panchal… We came to Kedarnath the day before yesterday. We are stranded here because of the continuous rain. I appeal to the Gujarat government to help us reach our destination safely from here. There are many people in our group as well. Please help us…, ” she said in the video. As soon as Panchal said this, tears started streaming from her eyes.

At the end of the video, Panchal turns the camera to show the plight of other pilgrims stranded in the surrounding area – people taking shelter in tents under the open sky and the foggy conditions enveloping the mountains.

‘No proper response from local authorities’

Panchal along with her seven family members, all residents of the Althan area of Surat and her extended relatives comprising six from Ahmedabad, started their 12-day Kedarnath pilgrimage from Ahmedabad on September 21.

Talking to The Indian Express, Panchal said, “We (14 pilgrims) left Ahmedabad on September 21 and started walking to the top of Kedarnath from the base camp on Saturday. However, heavy rainfall and landslides have affected our journey. Our belongings were in the hotel in the base area. The walkway was totally damaged and we were trapped and there was no other alternative to return to the base camp area.” (The Kedarnath trek from Gaurikund is 16 km one way.)
She alleged that the local authorities did not respond properly to their appeal for help.

“We all panicked for two days – Saturday and Sunday. Nobody came to help us and when we tried to reach the local authorities, we did not get a proper response. We were all worried about what’s next,” she said, recounting the tense times.

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“On Monday morning, I made a video requesting the Gujarat government to extend help to us. The video went viral. Thankfully, the local authorities have taken action and they sent a rescue helicopter, which airlifted all of us to the base camp area,” she said.

Panchal and her relatives took their belongings from the hotel, and they continued their Badrinath yatra on Monday evening.

The video, meanwhile, has given tense moments to her family members back home in Surat.

They urged the Gujarat government and the Disaster Management Department to immediately contact the Uttarakhand government, airlift the stranded people and bring them back safely.
However, after the rescue operation, Panchal called her sons back home and told them that they were safe and that they would continue their pilgrimage to Badrinath, as planned earlier.