21 Tamil Nadu Pilgrims Return From Nepal Floods

Twenty-one pilgrims from Tamil Nadu arrived safely in Chennai on Friday night after surviving catastrophic flash floods and landslides in Nepal that struck during their sacred Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. The group, part of a larger contingent, was caught in the disaster in the Rasuwagadhi region near the Nepal-China border on August 26. Their return marked a moment of profound relief, though it was shadowed by the knowledge that many other Indian travelers remain missing.

The survivors were received at Chennai airport by state ministers, who oversaw their immediate welfare. The group had endured a harrowing ordeal, including a grueling trek to safety after the disaster. According to accounts shared by the pilgrims, they were traveling in vans when a massive wave of water and debris struck. Two women from Tiruchirappalli, Vallinayaki and Karpagam, described seeing a thick, smoke-like cloud of mud resembling wet concrete rushing down the mountain. With no immediate help, the 21 passengers on their bus worked together, escaping through the driver's side and climbing steep terrain for over two hours to reach a rescue center. They credited the Nepal Army, local authorities, and...