Nepal flash floods: 37 Mumbai pilgrims return safely after being stranded

Pilgrims returning from Nepal have an emotional reunion with their family members at the Arrival gate at Mumbai airport. Pics/Satej Shinde

A Group of 37 pilgrims who were visiting Nepal's holy sites like the Manasarovar came back to Mumbai after being stuck due to the flash flood.

Landing at 5.11pm on Saturday, the pilgrims emerged with smiles on their faces at Arrival Gate B of the airport, where they were greeted by MLA Manisha Chaudhary, BJP Mumbai general secretary Vinod Shelar, and MLA Bharati Levekar.

Dinesh Bhosle and his family members are grateful for their miraculous survival

"We were supposed to be near the border right when the flash floods hit that area," said one of the travellers, Dinesh Bhosle. "But luckily at the time, we couldn't make it because a few women in our team had difficulty in breathing and we had gone to the hospital to get them treated. We had finished all our visits to the holy places and were left with only the parikrama. Though we are a little sad we couldn't do it, we are thankful to God for the way he saved us by derailing our plans."

Bhosle added, "We are very glad that many people from Mumbai contacted us, and passed our message on to the Maharashtra government. This helped us come back safely without any injuries or losses."

City climber still missing

Three days on, the whereabouts of Mumbai-based doctor and mountaineer Dr Milind Chitley, his wife Megha, and around 61 others remain unknown.

A family friend of Dr Chitley said, "We have still not received any communication from him or the group. The family is under a lot of stress at the moment."

Dr Chitley and his wife, residents of Malpa Dongri in Andheri East, had travelled to Nepal as part of a 61-member pilgrimage.

Umesh Zirpe, president of the Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh, the apex mountaineering body in the state, said, "They made every effort, but there is no trace of Dr Chitley and other 67 pilgrims yet."

According to Zirpe, a joint statement about the group was issued on August 28 by Prof Charuhas Joshi of Hills and Trails and Sangay Gurang of Richa Treks, Kathmandu. The report states, "Unfortunately, Dr Chitley's group was exactly at the immigration centre [which was most impacted by the flash flood]... The disaster site is not accessible and only rescue teams are allowed in the area. As of now, no one has been rescued or evacuated from the Nepal-Tibet/China [border] site."

Inputs by Ritika Gondhalekar and Ranjeet Jadhav