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Families tense as pilgrims from Bengal remain stranded at Amarnath
There are several other families whose members had started out for the Amarnath Yatra this year and are now stranded. Back home, their loved ones are spending sleepless nights.
The last time Soma Singh, a resident of Kalibabu Bazar in Howrah, got a call from her younger sister Jhuma was at about 6.00 pm on Friday.
Singh’s septuagenarian mother and two sisters had gone for the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir, where a flash flood has already killed 16 people and 40 are still missing. They had left Howrah on July 2.
“She called me at about 6 pm and said that our mother was missing and that they were not being able to locate her. We know nothing more than this as the connection was very poor and the call got disconnected. Since then we have been calling them. Jhuma’s phone is switched off while Preity is not taking calls. We are all worried as the televisions are flashing news that many have died,” said Singh.
The Singh family is not the only one. There are several other families whose members had started out for the Amarnath Yatra this year and are now stuck. Back home, their loved ones are spending sleepless nights.
Bipul Ghosh, 48, a resident of Lake Town had left home on Tuesday with an eight member team, mostly friends. His family, including his wife and elderly parents, were worried till they managed to contact him late on Friday evening.
“A chill went down my spine when I first saw the news on television that the area has been hit by a flash flood triggered by a cloud burst. It brought back memories of the Kedarnath disaster which we saw on television,” said Swapna Ghosh, his wife, who is a school teacher.
The Ghosh family, were however relieved when they could contact him late on Friday evening. He, along with the entire team was at the base camp in Pahalgam.
“We are presently staying at the army base camp in Pahalgam. We were scheduled to start the trek today. This morning the army announced that pilgrims won’t be able to go to the cave. We heard that roads have been washed away,” Ghosh told HT from Pahalgam over phone.
Dibyendu Roy, 50, a resident of Maniktala in north Kolkata went for the pilgrimage on July 5 with some friends. The family was worried ever since the news of the Amarnath tragedy broke on television.
“We, along with his friends, tried to contact him several times since Friday. We lost contact on Thursday due to inclement weather. Today, we managed to contact him. He said he was fine and everyone in the group was safe. They were at the base camp. The connection was very poor. I had warned him that the mountains are very dangerous during the monsoon,” said Suvendu Roy, his brother.
“We managed to speak to him on video-call. The army is there and they are helping the pilgrims. It’s raining there and my father is still stuck. I want him to come back safely. I just want to see him and have food together,” said Sudisha Roy, his daughter.
