Mud, Rocks, Furious Water Flow: How A Six-Yard Saree Became A Lifeline For 21 Tamil Nadu Pilgrims During Nepal Flash Flood

Caught in a terrifying flash flood near the Nepal-Tibet border, a group of pilgrims found an unlikely lifeline in a saree as they scrambled up a slippery mountainside to escape the raging waters.

A wall of mud, rocks and water

According various media reports, the pilgrims were on their way from Syabrubesi towards Kerung as part of the Mount Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra when the mountains suddenly turned hostile.

On August 26, a powerful flash flood and mudslide struck the Timure area near Nepal’s border with Tibet. Survivors recalled seeing an enormous mass of water, mud, rocks and debris rushing down the mountainside, with some describing it as resembling a “tsunami falling from the mountains”.

Their bus came to a halt at a relatively safer bend. The flood swept away vehicles nearby, but the Tamil Nadu pilgrims escaped being caught in the torrent by what survivors later described as just a few feet.

The race to get out

Staying inside the bus was no longer an option.

The 21 pilgrims scrambled out, many of them making their way through the driver's side before attempting to climb a steep, muddy embankment.

But the slope offered little help.

The ground was slippery, the mud made it difficult to find a foothold and several pilgrims, many of them over 50, repeatedly slipped while trying to climb.

What should have been a short ascent turned into a desperate struggle that lasted roughly one to two-and-a-half hours, media outlet News 18 reported.

Then came the saree

According to Economic Times, a Mayiladuthurai couple, Rathinakumar and his wife Poonguzhali, managed to reach higher ground.

But Poonguzhali noticed that several women were still stranded below.

She removed her saree, put on a sweater and lowered the saree down towards those struggling on the slope.

In those terrifying moments, the saree became more than clothing. It became a makeshift rope something the pilgrims could hold on to as they tried to pull themselves out of danger.

A metal cable available at the site was also used. One by one, the stranded pilgrims were hauled towards safer ground.

In one instance, a woman who was unable to climb was reportedly asked to tie the saree around her waist so those above could pull her up.

Rathinakumar too went back towards the danger zone to help others climb.

One person pulled up another

There was little room for panic.

The pilgrims had to depend on one another reaching down to those below, holding hands, gripping the saree and cable and pulling each other up the slippery slope.

For the older members of the group, every step was a battle against the mud and fear of being swept away.

But eventually, all 21 reached higher ground.

The flood had not only taken away vehicles and roads around them; it had also left the pilgrims stranded in an increasingly difficult landscape.

A day and a half on the mountain

Reaching the slope was only the first part of their ordeal.

According to other media reports, the pilgrims remained on higher ground for around a day and a half, facing harsh conditions with very little food.

Locals provided them with snacks and bottled water while they stayed in contact with authorities and waited for help to arrive.

The Nepal Army and local officials eventually assisted with the evacuation, with the Indian Embassy, Tamil Nadu authorities and the central government coordinating the effort.

The pilgrims were taken to Kathmandu and later flown to Delhi.

From the mountains to home

In Delhi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met the rescued pilgrims before they continued their journey home.

They eventually reached Chennai on an Air India flight late on August 28, where Tamil Nadu ministers received them.

Back home, survivors including Sivaranjani from Tiruchirappalli recounted the frightening hours when the mountains seemed to collapse around them.

For the pilgrims, their escape was shaped by several things faith, quick thinking and the instinct to help one another.

But amid the mud, rocks and furious water, one image stands out: a saree lowered down a dangerous mountainside, giving frightened pilgrims something to hold on to as they fought their way to safety.