Our Bureau
Chennai
A saree became an unlikely lifeline for a group of Tamil Nadu pilgrims caught in devastating flash floods in Nepal, helping several women climb a slippery, mud-covered slope to safety as floodwaters surged below them.
The incident unfolded when 21 pilgrims travelling to Mount Kailash were caught in the flood-ravaged region near Timure. After their vehicle escaped being swept away by a narrow margin, the group scrambled towards higher ground through thick mud and difficult terrain. Several women, however, struggled to climb the steep embankment.
Ratnakumar, a pilgrim from Mayavaram, had already reached safer ground with his wife Poonguzhali when he noticed the women in difficulty. He returned towards the danger zone and, with Poonguzhali assisting from above, used a saree as an improvised rope to pull the stranded women up the slippery slope one by one, according to fellow pilgrim Sivaranjani.
Sivaranjani recalled that their vehicle narrowly escaped the floodwaters, saying that had it moved only a few feet in another direction, the passengers could have been swept away.
The group subsequently endured nearly two days in harsh conditions, surviving on limited snacks and bottled water provided by locals. They remained in contact with Indian Embassy officials, who coordinated their evacuation along with Tamil Nadu and Union government authorities.
The pilgrims were eventually evacuated to Kathmandu and returned to India within 48 hours. Their survival came amid a wider disaster triggered by an ice-rock avalanche following a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border.
The rescue of the 21 pilgrims offered a rare moment of relief amid the wider Nepal disaster, which has claimed hundreds of lives and left thousands missing. The episode also highlighted the quick thinking and solidarity among pilgrims during an increasingly perilous situation.