Pankaj Barman from Nalbari, Assam, has returned to his family after enduring a traumatic week in Nepal. He was stranded for four days on a mountain following the severe flash floods that struck on August 26. Barman’s experience highlights the ongoing challenges faced by those affected by the disaster.
With roads and nearby areas inundated, the group climbed up the mountain to escape the rising water.
Barman said he and his colleagues were forced to flee the power station as floodwater and mud swept through the area. Barman said he ran out of the facility and headed towards higher ground along with several others. He said nearly a hundred people remained stranded in the area and spent four days on a hilltop waiting to be rescued.
When the water receded, Pankaj Barman and others were evacuated by Nepali rescuers and brought to Kathmandu. The rescued group, including Barman, were kept in a hotel by their company and were eventually brought back to Assam with the help of the state government. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also spoke to Barman while he was at the Kathmandu hotel. “The Chief Minister spoke to me and helped us return. “Eight of us came back, but five are still missing.
I am deeply thankful to him,” Barman told NDTV. I keep thinking about my friend,” an emotional Barman said.
