"Miraculous Escape": 21 Tamil Nadu Pilgrims Return From Nepal, Recount Horror

For 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, returning home on Friday was nothing short of a second birth. They had set out on a pilgrimage to Nepal. But their journey turned into a fight for survival when an avalanche-triggered flash flood struck their convoy, sweeping away two of the three buses.

On Friday, they finally walked out of Chennai airport - shaken, emotional and grateful to be alive. நேபாளத்தில் ஏற்பட்ட வெள்ளப்பெருக்கிலிருந்து மீட்கப்பட்ட, தமிழ்நாட்டைச் சேர்ந்த 21 யாத்ரீகர்கள் அடங்கிய குழுவை வரவேற்றேன்.

அவர்களின் அனுபவங்களை நேரில் கேட்டறிந்தபோது நெகிழ்ச்சியடைந்தேன். இந்த மீட்பு நடவடிக்கையை மேற்கொண்ட நேபாள ராணுவம் (@NepaliArmyHQ) மற்றும் அந்நாட்டு அரசுக்கு… pic.twitter.com/X5n0Of8J2O Among the survivors was Vijayabhuvaneshwari, who vividly recalled the terrifying moment the disaster struck.

"There was a loud noise, like a bomb blast, when the flash floods struck our convoy of three buses. The vehicle in front of us and the one behind us locked our vehicle, and we climbed on top to save ourselves. Then we climbed the hill where there was an Armed Reserve Police camp.

The police helped us and gave us shelter," she told NDTV. Asked if she ever thought she would make it back home, her answer revealed the enormity of what she had gone through. "90 percent no. I only thought about my daughter." For Kirubathiri, the experience has changed the way she looks at life - and the climate crisis.

"It is a new birth for me. I cannot complain. Climate change is real, and the poor always pay a heavy price for the climate wrongs of others," she said. For senior citizen pilgrim Vallinayaki, the force of nature was almost impossible to comprehend.

"It was a miraculous escape. It was like a volcanic eruption of concrete, devouring us," she recalled. The relief was equally palpable at the Chennai airport, where families waited anxiously to embrace those who had made it back.

For Sriram, the ordeal had been a nightmare as his mother-in-law was among those who could not initially be contacted. Her return brought an overwhelming sense of relief to the family. His little daughter Mahalakshmi was waiting for one thing - to see her grandmother and speak to her after the frightening uncertainty.

But for several other families, the wait continues.