Bhubaneswar: What began as a trip to Nepal turned into a terrifying fight for survival for a 51-member group from Odisha and Kerala, with Bhadrak’s Ramesh Das returning home on Tuesday after being stranded amid devastating flash floods and recalling moments when he feared he might never see his family again.
Das, a resident of Nalagunda village in Chandbali block, had travelled to Nepal on August 21. However, the holiday took a dangerous turn after flash floods battered the region on August 26, leaving the group stranded amid widespread destruction.
Recalling the ordeal after reaching Bhadrak, Das said the group witnessed floodwaters rushing dangerously close to vehicles as they tried to move to safer locations.
“I can never forget what I saw in Nepal in my lifetime,” Das said.
Das said the group of 51 people was travelling by bus towards Kathmandu when army personnel stopped them amid the worsening situation. During their return journey, they witnessed scenes of devastation, including hundreds of dead bodies, damaged houses and vehicles swept away by the floodwaters.
“We were a group of 51 people travelling by bus towards Kathmandu when army personnel stopped us. While returning, we saw hundreds of dead bodies, damaged houses and vehicles, including buses and trucks, that had been swept away by the floodwaters,” Das said.
The ordeal was made even more distressing by the lack of network connectivity, which left Das unable to contact his family back home.
“For a moment, I feared that I would never see my family again. I could not even contact them because there was no network,” he said.
Das said the speed and scale of the flooding left him deeply shaken. The group struggled to find safe places as floodwaters swept through the affected areas.
Despite having travelled to Nepal to enjoy a holiday, Das said the experience had left him with little to feel happy about.
“I am not happy at all, despite having travelled to Nepal to enjoy the trip,” he said.
After finally reaching Bhadrak, Das became emotional when he met his younger brother at Bhadrak railway station.
