JOIN USStranger helps Karnataka tourists escape disaster in Kashmir
When a group of eight tourists from Mysore and Bangalore packed their bags for a trip to Kashmir on September 2, they had no idea that they were heading for disaster. A slight drizzle had welcomed the tourists just as they reached Kashmir a day later, which they thought was as per the weather forecast.
Dr S N Mothi, a 62-year-old paediatrician from Mysore, his wife Nalini Mothi, businessman Gururaj K S, his wife Nalini Gururaj, manager of Karnataka Bank in Mysore, Ramachandra D S, his wife Sujatha D S and their friends from Bangalore, Nagaraj and his wife Vasantha, were eager to visit Ladakh after camping at the hill station of Sonmarg, about 80 km from Kashmir on September 4.
With their accommodation arranged in a resort along the banks of River Indus, the tourists had started fearing for the worst, as the rising water levels in the river began to roar, making them jittery.
“Local people said the rising water level was due to a cloud burst. With the River Indus in spate, we were told to evacuate immediately,” Gururaj said. “With roads clogged everywhere, we somehow reached Srinagar on Friday night.”
“Even travelling back to Srinagar was a dreaded experience, as the vehicle was to cross two bridges where water was already overflowing. Looking at the widespread havoc caused by the cloud burst and rains, we decided to cut our trip short and head back home,” Gururaj said.
But the group’s nightmare was only half over. “As soon as we stepped out of the safety of hotel, which was on an elevated surface, we had another shocker: the main road connecting the airport to the city had three to four feet of water,” Mothi recalled.
“After starting at 4 am on Sunday, we were stranded on a bridge, where water level was up to five and a half feet above it. Incidents of landslide were being reported from all over the valley.” It was then that a 75-year-old good Samaritan helped the group reach the airport by an alternative route. The tourists feel that but for the unknown man and their driver Shoukat, they would have had only a slight chance of returning home, alive.
“When we reached the airport, we were shocked to learn that many people had waded through the overflowing bridge, carrying their luggage on their head and reached airport, Dr Mothi said. “The plight of those stranded in the airport was heart-wrenching.” The group reached Bangalore on Sunday.
“It is these challenging situations that show us how kind, caring and eager to help, people can be. If not for the help of the locals, who were very kind, supportive, considerate and helpful to tourists like us, we would never have returned home,” Dr Mothi added.
Three more from Mysore stranded
Three members of a family from JP Nagar here are said to have been stranded in the flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir.
Krishnappa, his wife Shami and son Naveen had reached Kashmir on Sept 4. Two days later, they called up one of their relatives, Pavan, in Bangalore, saying they were stranded in the floods. Pavan tried to contact the family but to no avail. The family’s details have been given to the Karnataka government’s rescue team, and efforts to trace them are on, said Kiran, another relative, reports DHNS from Mysore.
Couple on honeymoon safe
A newlywed couple from Yelwal, near Mysore, who were stranded in Kashmir, are learnt to be safe. Software engineer Raghavendra Prasad and his wife Nandini have been rescued and are currently staying at a rescue camp at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.
The couple were married on September 4 and had reached Kashmir two days later. Cloud burst and torrential downpour cut off their communication with their families. On Monday, Prasad managed to contact his mother Rajeshwari and said they were stranded. But the family could not contact him in the next two days despite repeated attempts. Prasad reportedly contacted his mother on Tuesday, telling her that both he and his wife were safe at a rescue camp.