JOIN USA team of 24-member tourists belonging to Mysore and surrounding areas, who had been stranded in Gaurikund near Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, are said to safe, and would be arriving in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday, terminating their tour.
The tour was organised by Nirmala Travels, and the team departed on June 1. From Bangalore, they left to Delhi by train, from where they are said to have visited Kashi, Ayodhya, Kedarnath, Gowrikund and other places. On June 16, at Kedarnath, they witnessed horrific heavy rains, following which they failed to find any accommodation at Kedarnath.
According to Dinesh H M, distributor, Mangalore Ganesh Beedis, resident of Vijayanagar 3rd stage, whose nine family members were among the team, told Deccan Herald that his family members had contacted him through mobile phone and had informed him about their rescue.
He said that all of them were safe.
Family
His brother, Raja Ram H M, his wife Sumana Ram, their daughter Hitashree, Dinesh’s sister H M Shylaja, her husband D G Raghavendra, Raghavendra’s sister Geetha, her husband Sridhar, businessman in Goa, Dinesh’s niece Shwetha and her husband Raghavendra, a software engineer were part of the team of Nirmala Travels.
Accommodation
They along with other members who found no accommodation at any lodges at Kedarnath, literally roamed the streets in the villages near Gowrikund, where the water levels were rapidly rising. They had to move to Badarinath the next day, which happened to be the last destination on their itinerary.
Dinesh said that they had moved to higher places that night to escape the floods. Fortunately, proprietor of Annapoorna Hotel of Gowri Gaon, provided them with accommodation at his residence itself.
The whole team was provided with food and other facilities.
Rescue op
The team which was stranded there was rescued by a helicopter on June 22 there and was brought to Haridwar. From there, rescue teams shifted them to Delhi.
Good care
Dinesh said that his family told him that they had witnessed buildings collapsing, people, animals taken wiped away in the ferocious waters. “Military personnel have taken care ofthem very well. They have helped them with food and other essentials,” he added.
Five of the family members would be arriving in Bangalore by flight on June 25, while the other four would be coming on June 26 by train.