BARIPADA: Family members of Kulsum Nigar were filled with relief and joy as the 21-year-old safely returned home on Sunday night after being stranded in Nepal amid the devastating flash floods.
A resident of Ward 23 in Baripada town, Kulsum had travelled to the Himalayan country as part of a nine-member trekking team. She had lost contact with her family members following the disaster.
Kulsum left Baripada for Kolkata by bus on August 21. From Kolkata, she travelled to Raxaul in Bihar by Mithila Express and then to Pokhara in Nepal by taxi with her trekking team.
She began trekking from Pokhara at around 11 am on August 25. Before leaving, she had informed her family that she might not be able to contact them because of poor mobile network connectivity in the trekking areas.
However, following the devastating floods in parts of Nepal and the prolonged communication gap, her parents and relatives became increasingly anxious. Her father Sheikh Salamat Ullah and other family members spent sleepless nights worrying about her safety. The family also approached the district administration seeking help to bring her back safely.
Recounting the days of uncertainty, Kulsum said her team reached Dhorpatan region, around 400 km from the flood-hit areas of Nepal, during their trek. Due to the lack of mobile connectivity, she could not contact her family until August 29, when she finally managed to send an audio message from Dhorpatan.
According to Kulsum, the team first learnt about the devastating floods when mobile network became available in Dhorpatan. She said her team did not encounter any flooding while travelling towards their destination and safely completed the trek.
While returning, the team encountered a swollen river but avoided the affected route. They returned through safer routes to Pokhara. Kulsum said Nepalese government officials extended cooperation and helped the team make arrangements for a safe return to India.
“I was very worried about how we would return to India after seeing the flood situation in Nepal. Fortunately, our routes remained safe during both the onward and return journeys,” she said.
Kulsum thanked the government for coordinating with Nepalese authorities to enquire about the team’s safety.