Back From the Brink: 21 Tamil Nadu Pilgrims Recount Nepal Flash Flood Horror

For 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, arriving at Chennai airport on Friday felt like 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 they were travelling in.

Survivor Vijayabhuvaneshwari 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," she said. The group then climbed to higher ground, where an Armed Reserve Police camp provided shelter and assistance.

Asked if she ever thought she would make it home, her answer revealed the ordeal's toll: "90 percent no. I only thought about my daughter."

For fellow pilgrim Kirubathiri, the experience has reshaped her perspective on 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.

Senior citizen Vallinayaki described the flood as almost incomprehensible. "It was a miraculous escape. It was like a volcanic eruption of concrete, devouring us," she recalled.

The relief at the airport was palpable as families embraced survivors. For Sriram, whose mother-in-law was among those initially uncontactable, her return brought overwhelming relief. His young daughter Mahalakshmi was waiting to see her grandmother after the frightening uncertainty.

However, for many other families, the wait continues. Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Raj Mohan said around 400 people from the state may have travelled to Nepal around this time. While 140 have been rescued and are safe, at least 80 are still believed to be missing. Efforts are underway to bring the rescued to Kathmandu and then back to India.

A team of four Tamil Nadu ministers has been deployed to Delhi to coordinate the return of the rescued pilgrims. Water Resources Minister Bussy Anand said the government would do everything possible to trace those still unaccounted for.

At the airport, government assurances offered little comfort to families still seeking definitive information. Praveen, whose father is missing, left disappointed that there was still no government-verified list of the missing and rescued. "We need a government-verified list. Now there is confusion. We are happy for those who have returned. We hope our dad too would soon return," he said.

The challenge of establishing an accurate list was also reflected in a PIL filed in the Madras High Court on Friday, seeking clarity and action over the pilgrims caught up in the disaster.

Nepal's disaster authority has sharply revised its figures, saying 2,426 people are now missing while the confirmed death toll has risen to 626. The number of foreign nationals unaccounted for remains at 517, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. The revised figures came three days after the floods swept through parts of the country, with search and rescue efforts still underway.