New Delhi [India], August 28 (ANI): One of the 21 Indian pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who was rescued after being caught in devastating flash floods in Nepal on Friday recounted his ordeal, saying the floodwaters came within 100 metres of him and that "God helped" him survive the crisis.
The pilgrim, who hails from Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam, said he received support from state leaders during the difficult period. He added that the situation was "very serious" there and claimed that around several Indians were missing and that the floodwaters had come within 100 metres of him.
"Very serious situation there. Around 250 Indians are missing. The flood was just 100 metres from me. God helped me. 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," the rescued pilgrim told ANI.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday met with a group of 21 Indian pilgrims who returned safely from the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after being caught in the devastating flash floods in Nepal.
Expressing deep relief, the EAM highlighted that while 85 Indians have been rescued so far, the government remains focused on establishing contact with over 315 Indian nationals who are still uncontactable in the flood-affected regions.
The group of 21 pilgrims, who arrived in the national capital via Kathmandu, were rescued by Nepal's Army from what the EAM described as a "very difficult place."
"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," he said.
"I just came to meet them, share our great relief that they are safe and sound, and learn from them about their experiences," Jaishankar said. He noted that the pilgrims expressed immense gratitude to the Nepal Army for their life-saving efforts. Following their rescue, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu facilitated their travel back to India.
Jaishankar stated that the mission is far from over. "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 added.
According to the latest update attributed to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 538 bodies have been recovered, and 977 people remain missing following the disaster. At least 73 people have been injured, while thousands of security personnel have been deployed for search and rescue operations.
As rescue and relief operations continue in flood-hit Nepal, 320 Indian nationals remain "uncontactable" while around 100 persons of Indian origin are also yet to be reached out to, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday, underlining that the figures remain fluid as authorities work to reconcile multiple lists of missing people.
Speaking at a press briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the ministry was working continuously to establish contact with Indians affected by the flash flood and coordinate their evacuation.
Giving an update on the situation, Jaiswal said 21 Indian nationals who had arrived in Kathmandu from the flood-affected area had reached Delhi today, adding that India's Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava had met the group in Kathmandu and enquired about their well-being.
MEA said that contact has been established with around 400 Indian citizens from the Chinese side, all of whom are safe, and the Indian Embassy in Beijing is making arrangements for their safe evacuation amid the disruption caused by landslides following the devastating flash floods in Nepal.
MEA spokesperson Jaiswal said that the Indian Embassy was in direct contact with the stranded citizens, their travel agents and group leaders to coordinate their return to India.
"I would also like to inform you that on the Chinese side there are about 400 Indian citizens with whom we have been able to establish contact. All of them are safe and have spoken to their family members, as telephone facilities are available there," Jaiswal said during the briefing.
"At the same time, I would like to say that we are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of our Indian citizens and providing all possible assistance to Nepal as per their request," Jaiswal said.
Jaiswal said India sent its first aircraft carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance to Nepal on August 26. The consignment included blankets, food items, medicines, solar lamps and other essential materials.
A second aircraft carrying 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance was sent to Nepal on August 27, he said, adding that the supplies were sent in response to requests from the Nepalese government.
A third aircraft is scheduled to depart on Friday, carrying an estimated 12 to 13 tonnes of humanitarian assistance.
The latest assistance and evacuation efforts come as Nepal continues to respond to the catastrophic flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River area of Rasuwa that caused widespread destruction on Wednesday.
The Indian and Nepalese authorities continue to coordinate rescue, relief and evacuation efforts as teams work to establish contact with those still missing and assist people stranded in affected areas. (ANI)
"God helped me, flood was just 100 metres from me": Rescued Indian pilgrim recounts Nepal flash flood ordeal
