'Flood was just 100m away, God helped': Rescued Indian pilgrim recalls Nepal flood horror

A rescued Indian pilgrim on Friday recalled how floodwaters came within 100 metres of him during the devastating flash floods in Nepal, saying, "God helped me" survive the ordeal.

The pilgrim, who is from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, described the situation as "very serious" and claimed that around 250 Indians were missing.

“Very serious situation there. Around 250 Indians are missing. The flood was just 100 metres from me. God helped me,” the rescued pilgrim told ANI.

“So, I am happy. I am from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Minister Nara Lokesh spoke to me; the MLA of my constituency also spoke to me. I thank the CM and them”.

He also thanked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, state minister Nara Lokesh and the MLA from his constituency for their support.

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‘It felt like a cyclone’

The pilgrims were caught in the floods in Nepal's Rasuwa district, where a sudden torrent swept through the Himalayan valley on Wednesday after a giant chunk of ice broke away from a nearby glacier.

The disaster was so sudden and powerful that those in its path initially struggled to make sense of what they were seeing.

“It felt like a cyclone forming,” said Subedi, a customs officer in Nepal. “Like the blast of wind you feel when a helicopter is landing.”

Subedi was at his office near Timure Bazaar, close to the border with the Chinese territory of Tibet, when the flooding began.

The 50-year-old had arrived around 8 am for what appeared to be a routine day of paperwork. Less than an hour later, he and his colleagues were forced to flee uphill towards Khaidi, a small mountain village, as the floodwaters swept through the area.

“At first we thought it was an earthquake, or rocks falling off the mountain above,” he said. “Or a flood? We were guessing.”

Rajendra Dhungana, the chief customs officer at the outpost, said the office was around 3 kilometres from the Tibet border and recalled the speed of the approaching flood.

“When we went outside, we saw it coming so fast, with a very loud, rumbling sound,” Dhungana said.

As the huge mass of ice cascaded into the valley and pulverised into water, it appeared to onlookers that the flash flood was coming from the Chinese side.

“The wind came about 10 seconds ahead, then there was vibration and a rumbling sound,” Subedi said. “The air was mixed with water, with dust and noise and dirt.”

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EAM met 21 pilgrims

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met the 21 Indian pilgrims, who had returned safely to Delhi after being rescued by the Nepal Army from a "very difficult place" during their Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

The pilgrims had travelled to Delhi via Kathmandu after the Indian Embassy in Nepal facilitated their return.

"I just received a group of Indians who had gone on pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar. They had been rescued after the floods. So, they were brought back to Kathmandu. They were rescued by the Nepali Army. Then our Embassy arranged for them to come back," Jaishankar said.

"I just came to meet them, share our great relief that they are safe and sound, and learn from them about their experiences," he added.

Jaishankar said the pilgrims had expressed immense gratitude to the Nepal Army for rescuing them, while efforts were continuing to locate other Indians affected by the disaster.

"We are still very much focused on contacting all the Indians who are there. We believe a little more than 315 Indians have still not been contacted. Roughly about 85 Indians have been rescued from various places," he said.