The group from Kottayam during their Onam celebration at Kathmandu on Tuesday evening
Kottayam: A group of 36 tourists from Kottayam narrowly escaped the flash floods in Nepal, with one of them attributing their survival to a 30-minute delay in their departure from Kathmandu and an impromptu visit to Swayambhunath temple. The group that began its journey from Kochi last Sunday included 16 members from six families from Kottayam, while the rest were from Kochi, Kannur and Kasargod. We reached Chitwan at 12:30am and requested food at a hotel, which obliged.
We remained stranded there for nearly six hours, said Ranjitha Vinayakumar, a member of the group. The group was just a kilometre away when the bridge across Trishuli River collapsed and the road they were scheduled to take was washed away. The Kottayam team included kids aged one and six. Its members belonged to Licensed Engineers and Supervisors Federation. As we came down the hill and were nearing the bridge, the floods began. We were stuck at Galchhi bazaar, close to the bridge that was later washed away. As the water level rose, we witnessed several vehicles being swept away. Once the waters receded, we learnt that the road ahead was washed away. We were then advised to take an alternative route through the forest. The journey took six hours and we had little food.
We left Kathmandu for Manakamana temple at 8am on Wednesday. We heard reports that there were landslides on the way to Pokhara and so we stayed in Chitwan that night and resumed our journey towards Pokhara at 9am on Thursday, said Vinayakumar.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in Kochi Stay updated with the latest Kochi news. They booked this trip through a travel agency in Kochi. The group had flown from Kochi to Gorakhpur last Sunday, from where they travelled to Kathmandu by road in two minibuses. On the eve of Onam, the group held a small celebration in traditional attire. The Kottayam contingent included Thiruvanchoor natives B Vijayakumar, his wife Asha K Nair and their son Abhiram; Satheeshkumar K M and his wife Poornima; Kumaranallur natives Santhoshkumar K and his wife Raji; Arpookara native Vinayakumar and his wife Ranjitha; Pakkil native Pradeep Kumar A, his wife Rekha, daughter Karthika and grandchildren Shivanya and Hridya and Paippad native Sajeev and his wife Rajani. Download the TOI App.
The group is planning to visit Lumbini on Friday before returning home. They had scheduled to return to Kochi on Sunday morning.