Gagandeep, 29, is happy that he has reached home safely from flood-hit Uttarakhand, memories of the tragic scenes that he witnessed, unnerve him. He saw about 250-300 vehicles getting washed away in the flood waters and hundreds of people dying.
Gagandeep, 29, is happy that he has reached home safely from flood-hit Uttarakhand, memories of the tragic scenes that he witnessed, unnerve him. He saw about 250-300 vehicles getting washed away in the flood waters and hundreds of people dying.
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"Maine maut ka tandav dekha. (I saw the dance of death). I saw people getting carried away by torrents of water and buildings collapsing like pack of cards. The hillock just above where I had parked my car, was wiped off by a gush of water and hundreds of vehicles parked on it vanished within no time," said Gagandeep.
He said he was still many kilometres away when he received information about the cloud burst in Kedarnath and embarked on a return journey.
"Finding a way back was a tough task. All roads and bridges had been devastated. I followed a 'kutcha' way and managed to drive to the Haridwar-Delhi national highway. For three days I had to do without food but the only thing in my mind was to reach home safely, Gagandeep added. "I am back with my family but the images of the devastation don't go away from my mind," he said.
Families of the two local youth, Vikrant and Raja, who had gone missing in Kedarnath, however, are yet to hear about them. Three of their friends are safe and are expected to reach homes by Saturday.