Mumbaikars who survived Nepal earthquake recall their 12-hour ordeal

ldquoIn the midst of all the destruction we saw the extremes of human nature on one end there were people who cared only for their own lives and on the opposite were those who helped others without thinkingrdquo said Kritika Ajmani a Mumbaibased blogger who witnessed Saturdayrsquos earthquake in KathmanduIndian nationals queue outside Kathmandu Airport yesterday Rescue operations continued yesterday following the earthquake on Saturday PicsPTIAjmani was accompanied by Shubham Nag both 24yearold bloggers from Mumbai who had gone to attend the International Nepal Tattoo Convention from April 2426 However the convention attended by 2000 tattoo artists from around the world was cut short when the first tremors shook Kathmandu around 1141 amIndians evacuated from Nepal deboard a C17 Globemaster III of the Indian Air Force at Air Force Station Palam New DelhiAt the time the duo was at Hotel Ambassador where they were staying When they saw the lobbyrsquos chandeliers shaking they ran out onto the streets to see the enormous damage wrought by the quake Ajmani a Santacruz resident said ldquoThere were huge craters on the groundKritika Ajmani and Shubham Nag Mumbaibased bloggers witnessed the earthquake in Kathmandu while they were there for a tattoo conventionAlso ReadNepal Earthquake The day the Earth shookOne of the cracks ran through our hotel splitting it in two Everybody was panickingrdquo She and Nag decided to head to Hotel Yak and Yeti where the tattoo convention was being held They had heard that other attendees were going to gather there and then go to Kathmandu AirportAlso readDeath and destruction as massive earthquake hits NepalThey had to walk for miles to get there as even when they managed to find a taxi the roads were too congested ldquoOur only view en route was total destruction There was a public hospital that had collapsed and people were dragging patients out from the rubbleThe special forces were doing a commendable job of encouraging people and guiding them to the embassyrdquo Nag an Andheri resident recalled They reached the airport hours later and finally checked in around 730 pm But the ordeal was far from over this was when they saw the people at their most vulnerable said AjmaniMost showed great lack of discipline and patience and did not bother to help women children or the elderly ldquoThe authorities were calling out names of women children and elderly who were to board the first flight to Delhi at 9 pm But the people simply paid no heed and were forcing their way inThey almost ran over a sixyearold child in the stampederdquo she added But if some were selfish there were also those who were selfless The child was saved by another youngster who got hurt in the process A few guards and youths took charge of the situation and made a human chain restricting the path of the crowd so people could board the plane in an orderly mannerAjmani and Nag eventually boarded the third flight which left Kathmandu around 1130 pm after experiencing the trauma for nearly 12 hours Now safe in Delhi and looking forward to returning home to Santacruz this evening Ajmani said ldquoIn those 12 hours we saw the best and the worst of humanity We learnt the value of human life and to what extent one would go to save itrdquo