Unexpected temple visits saved their lives: Malayalis recount harrowing escape from Nepal floods

Kottayam/Kanhangad: An unexpected temple visit that was not part of their travel plans turned into a life-saving delay for two groups of Malayali tourists caught in Nepal's devastating flash floods. The extra time kept them away from the Trishuli river when the floodwaters surged, helping them narrowly escape.

The travellers, who had gone to Nepal as part of separate tour groups from Kottayam and Kasaragod, are now recounting the terrifying moments when vehicles, buildings and a bridge were swept away before their eyes.

For the 16-member Kottayam group, the unplanned temple visit lasted 15 minutes longer than the time allotted by their tour operator. Had they left on schedule, they could have been caught in the flash floods in the Trishuli river.

The group, which travelled to Nepal under the banner of the Licensed Engineers and Supervisors Federation, is still shaken by the experience. The group comprised D Vinayakumar of Arpookara and his wife Ranjitha; Santhoshkumar of Kumarakom and his wife Raji; A Pradeepkumar of Pakkil, his wife Rekha and their children Karthika, one-and-a-half-year-old Hridhya and five-year-old Shivanya; Saji of Paippad and his wife Rajini; Vijayakumar of Thiruvanchur, his wife Asha and their son V Abhiram; and Satheesh Kumar and his wife Poornima.

Vinayakumar said the group reached Kathmandu on August 24 and first visited the Pashupatinath Temple. On August 26, the day of Thiruvonam, they set out for the Manakamana Temple.

En route, they stopped at a Swayambhu Kshetra, a self-manifested temple, which was not part of their itinerary. They decided to visit it based on the tour operator's recommendation. The operator had allotted 15 minutes for the visit, but they ended up spending 30 minutes there.

They then reached a point around 500 metres from the Trishuli River, where they saw people running. The tour operator initially told them that a bus had overturned into a deep gorge. When they saw more people running, they got off the vehicle to see what was happening. They saw what appeared to be rocks and debris being swept along by the river. Vehicles and buildings were also being carried away.

The bridge they were supposed to cross had been swept away by the floodwaters. Vinayakumar said the group survived only because their temple visit had taken longer than planned. With the bridge destroyed, the group was stranded on the road. They did not have enough food in the vehicle, but nearby hotel owners prepared food for them.

The tour operator told them they could escape the affected area by travelling for seven hours along a mountainous forest road. As they travelled along the route with 14 hairpin bends, they feared the bus could overturn. The bus broke down four times on the route, which was frequented by wild animals.

They later received information that a landslide had occurred on the route. The group rested at a resort on the edge of the forest before travelling from Lumbini to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. They reached Kochi on Sunday morning.

‘30 minutes that were not in our plan saved our lives’
Members of a 36-member Malayali group from Kasaragod, who narrowly escaped the floods in Nepal after days of anxiety, also returned home on Sunday. They left Gorakhpur airport on Saturday evening, flew to Bengaluru and travelled onwards to Kanhangad by train. Cheruvathur native Rajan, a teacher at Periya Polytechnic; teacher Anil Neelambari; retired SI Pradeep Kumar; retired KSEB official Karunakaran; and Rajeevan of Muzhakkom were among those who reached Kanhangad railway station.

The group had travelled to Nepal from Ernakulam through a travel agency on August 23. After visiting several places, they reached Kathmandu on August 25 and stayed there. The flash floods occurred while they were travelling from Kathmandu to Pokhara.

"To be honest, the 30 minutes that were not in our plan saved our lives. There was a Buddhist temple near Kathmandu. Although it was not part of the tour itinerary, the driver suggested that we visit it. When we reached the temple, the atmosphere was peaceful, and we spent 30 minutes there. It was only later that we realised those 30 minutes were worth our lives," the group members said after returning home.

"We have no information about the vehicles that travelled ahead of us. This was a journey we can never forget. When the river began to rise, local people told us it was normal. But within minutes, the situation became terrifying. We watched vehicles and building debris being swept away before our eyes. We were terrified and did not know what to do. Many people could not get a mobile phone signal. It was only after we saw videos later that we realised the scale of the floods," they said.