New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Amid the chilling stories of death and destruction in the aftermath of Nepal’s catastrophic floods come stories of survival and heroics where survivors, rescuers, and others have risked everything to save others, highlighting extraordinary resilience, sense of responsibility, and service to community.
There are stories of community groups and non-profit organisations braving rough weather and tough terrain to reach out to the victims like Sikh groups heading for flood-hit district of Rasuwa with aid despite damaged bridges, washed-out roads and inclement weather.
Then there are reports of celebrities personally distributing relief material.
Even as the Hindi film fraternity mourned the loss of lives, actor Sonu Sood reportedly reached Nepal with essential supplies for the people affected. And there are tales of valiant rescue workers engaged in a challenging task on the rough terrains.
There also are incidents recorded in some reportage that can perhaps be termed as miraculous escapes. One of them is Bikash Tharu, an electrical technician at the Bhote Koshi hydropower station who survived because he and his colleagues were late for work after a grueling work the day earlier.
Their delay allowed them to spot the gush on time and flee uphill, enduring nights in the open before army helicopters evacuated them. They later learnt that the swirling waters had swept away the dam that Tharu and his colleagues had been working to be built.
In another incident, elderly couple Jari and Bhakta Bardewa could flee on time from their Trishuli Bazaar home when neighbours warned of an impending doom, shouting “Aayo, aayo (It is coming, coming)”.
Even as they were trying to reach higher grounds, the water and slush reached the septuagenarian husband, but he managed to ascend to safety with his wife.
Then there are tales of other worker at dams, where Buddha Tamang could survive because he was inside a tunnel when the flood struck. He came out later to be airlifted after being stranded for about 24 hours.
Meanwhile, a young Indian engineer Ananay Sharma was reportedly saved after he paid heed to a call for rushing out of a building after a loud sound and spotting seepage on walls.
There are also heart-wrenching tales like that of Sangke Dolma Tamang, who could climb uphill with other family-members.
But not her husband, who was swept away even as the family tried desperately to save him.
In other instances, families lost wives, husbands, children in separate incidents while the water and slush drowned village after village.
Pilgrims to the Kailash-Mansarovar, the route to which lies through Nepal’s Rasuwagadhi border into Tibet region, met with mixed fate as some could escape the water by climbing up hills on time as others were swept away.
While Sivaranjani Muthunathan, among 56 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, could climb to safety with some others travellers, they watched in horror vehicles being washed away.
Another pilgrim, Poonguzhali Ponmambadan, used her sari to make a rope and help the elderly climb to safety.
There are several other reports of survival and heroics, but the media stories of professionals like helicopter pilots, army personnel, medical teams, along with volunteers rushing to danger zones needs special mention.
The largely unnamed, uncelebrated heroes remain in folklores who risk themselves to save others.
Reports cite pilots ferrying survivors from inaccessible valleys, often risking their lives in treacherous weather.
Meanwhile, camps in Nuwakot and Bidur became lifelines, providing medical aid and trauma counselling.
In one instance, a rescue team of Nepal’s Armed Police Force heard a six-year-old girl crying beneath debris in Timure.
They dug through collapsed structures and pulled her out alive, stabilising her there as bad weather prevented immediate evacuation.
Meanwhile, Nepal Army’s elite Ranger Battalion saved workers trapped inside intake tunnels buried under slurry, navigating terrain where landmarks had disappeared, recounted reports.
–IANS
jb/khz
