Mumbai, Aug 29 (PTI) Tourists from Maharashtra, who returned to Mumbai on Saturday from Nepal that was struck by devastating floods earlier this week, heaved a sigh of relief, with many saying they felt they had been “saved by God”.
They also expressed gratitude to the Centre and the state government for helping them return home safely.
An ice-rock avalanche following a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border sent a torrent of water, mud and debris downstream wiping out towns and villages, damaging crucial infrastructure and washing away hydropower stations through central Nepal on Wednesday.
The death toll from the flash floods rose to 669 on Saturday, while more than 2,000 people are still missing following the disaster.
A total of 37 tourists returned to Mumbai this evening from the Himalayan nation.
“We are happy that we came back safely. We feel like we have been saved by God. The Union and Maharashtra governments helped us on our way back home and we are grateful to them,” one of the returnees said on arrival at the Mumbai airport.
Another tourist, who was part of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, recalled the moment they realised the scale of the devastation caused by the flash floods.
“By God’s grace, we came back safely. We had reached Saga (in Tibet) on August 26 and then realised the devastation the flash floods had caused,” he said.
The tourist said the group was delayed by a day compared to its original schedule but did not face any major inconvenience during their return journey.
“Even the coordination between the Chinese and Nepal governments was smooth,” he said, recalling the arrangements made amid the difficult circumstances.
For another woman tourist, the safe return was nothing short of divine intervention.
“All of God’s blessings were behind us, and thus we could safely complete our Kailash mountain tour,” she said.
Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra government said that among 404 people from the state stranded in the Nepal-Tibet region following August 26 flash floods, authorities have established contact with 338 and confirmed their safety, and 37 of them were being transferred to India.
It said 60 tourists, who had travelled to Nepal through Mumbai-based Richa Tours, are still untraceable. PTI ND NP
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.