Two couples who had been stranded in the massive floods in Uttarakhand got back to their homes in the city late on Thursday.
The couples, Viswanathan and Ramabhai and Vinayagam and Ushabhai, had left Chennai in the second week of June for a tour of the Kedarnath–Badrinath and Haridwar–Rishikesh circuit.
“The rains and the subsequent flooding were unexpected. We did not know why we were unable to proceed past Badri until our tour operator told us about the ravaging floods,” said Viswanathan. According to them, several hundred buses and other vehicles had been stranded all along the route.
“We got to Nandaprayag after a delay on Wednesday and stayed there overnight, but could not sleep for a minute. On Wednesday morning, we had to take a circuitous route to New Delhi, from where we took a flight on Thursday afternoon,” said Ms. Ramabhai. The couples said, during their journey, they were witness to huge boulders falling right in front of them.
They said the Border Roads Organisation, the Army and paramilitary personnel did an exemplary job in clearing the roads and rescuing the stranded persons.
“It was a sheer miracle that we are back home tonight,” Ms. Ramabhai said.
More pilgrims from Tamil Nadu are expected to arrive at Chennai airport on Friday morning.
