21 Tamil Nadu pilgrims rescued from Nepal floods arrive in Chennai

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar greets a group comprising 21 tourists from Tamil Nadu who were rescued from the floods that occurred in Nepal. Image: X@DrSJaishankar

Tearful embraces, hushed prayers, and narrow escape marked the scene at the airport here as the Nepal flood survivors arrived safely.

Twenty-one pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, caught in the jaws of catastrophic disaster in Nepal, set foot on home soil, carrying with them memories of horror and astonishment of having survived.

The group was part of a larger contingent undertaking the sacred Kailash Manasarovar Yatra when tragedy struck on August 26. A sudden, violent burst of flash floods and massive landslides tore through the mountainous Rasuwagadhi region near the Nepal-China border, transforming a serene spiritual journey into a desperate fight for life.

"It felt like a tsunami falling from the mountains," said one survivor, trembling as she embraced her weeping family. "Within seconds, the water swept away everything. The entire market area in Timure disappeared right before our eyes," she said.

The disaster claimed numerous lives and left hundreds missing across the region, including several other Indian travelers. For the Tamil Nadu pilgrims, safety came in the form of a grueling trek to a border police outpost, where local authorities managed to shelter them before facilitating their transit to Kathmandu.

Through coordinated efforts between central and state officials, the group was flown back via New Delhi from Kathmandu, and landed in Chennai on an Air India flight on Friday night.

They were received at the airport by state Ministers N Anand (Rural Development and Water Resources) and D Sarathkumar (Human Resources and Management), who oversaw their immediate welfare and transport home.

For these 21 survivors, the relief of returning home is inextricably bound to the haunting memory of a raging river that took so much in mere moments.

Some of the survivors shared stories of the devastation they witnessed, noting that entire market areas in Timure were swept away in moments. The incident, which triggered massive landslides and flooding, claimed numerous lives and left hundreds missing, including other Indian travelers.

Later, speaking to reporters, Anand said four Tamil Nadu ministers sent to Delhi on instruction from Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, were coordinating well in the national capital.

"Our efforts will continue till everyone is brought back home safely," he said.

Two women from Tiruchirappalli - Vallinayaki and Karpagam - recounted their harrowing experience surviving a natural disaster in Nepal.

They were traveling in a bus towards the Chinese border when they encountered a massive landslide. They described seeing a thick, smoke-like cloud of mud and debris (resembling wet concrete) rushing down the mountain.