Retired West Bengal Couple Escapes Nepal Flood, Returns Home Safely

Basirhat, August 30 – Two retired schoolteachers from Basirhat in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district have returned home after narrowly escaping a devastating flash flood that struck Nepal’s Rasuwa district on August 26. Anukul Poddar and his wife Reba Roy Poddar were part of a 17-member Bengali pilgrim group on the Mansarovar Yatra when heavy monsoon rains triggered the disaster. Their harrowing escape underscores the sudden and deadly impact of the flood on travelers near the Nepal-Tibet border.

The couple recounted how their driver acted quickly to avoid the worst of the floodwaters. Around 8:30 am on August 26, two hours into their journey from Rasuwa toward the immigration office for Tibet entry, the group noticed water cascading down a hillside. Reba described seeing “white smoke moving down a river” and people running in panic with children crying. The driver immediately steered the vehicle to higher ground. Moments later, they learned a key bridge had been destroyed, cutting off the route.

“We saw shops closing fast and schoolchildren running uphill,” Anukul said of the scene unfolding around them. The group turned back and spent the night in a safer area before resuming their journey. Instead of proceeding to Tibet as planned on August 27, they traveled south through Nepal, reaching Birgunj—a town on the border with Bihar—on Friday.

The administration in Basirhat had suggested they fly to Kolkata from Patna. But the couple said they were too shaken to travel from Raxaul to Patna. Instead, they joined the rest of their group in returning by train. They arrived at Howrah station on Sunday aboard the Mithila Express and were greeted by police officers from Basirhat police station, who escorted them home under arrangements by the state government.

Meanwhile, another retired couple from Basirhat—Swapan Mondal and Mou Mondal—who were traveling with a different tour agency, remain unaccounted for. Their whereabouts are still unknown as of Sunday.

The flash flood in Nepal’s Rasuwa district left several people injured and damaged vital infrastructure, disrupting pilgrim routes and travel plans. The incident has drawn renewed attention to monsoon risks in the Himalayan region and the challenges faced by pilgrims crossing international borders.

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