Bradford woman in Nepal tells of flooding ordeal
Shashi Sharma, 61, is taking part in a sacred pilgrimage which passed through the affected area.
A Bradford woman on a pilgrimage in Nepal recounted her harrowing experience with deadly flash floods, stating she is now praying for the victims.
Shashi Sharma, 61, was participating in the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a 10-day sacred trek from India to Tibet that traverses the affected region in Nepal. The disaster, which struck on Wednesday, has claimed over 570 lives and injured nearly 1,500, according to Nepalese police.
"The whole group is very, very sad at the moment, and we are praying for the people - those who have lost their life, and we're praying for the families, those who are looking for their loved ones," Sharma shared.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Sharma explained that her group of 43, including six individuals from the UK, had passed through the devastated area on Tuesday, just a day before the floods hit.
"We're still thinking about the lady who served us food in this beautiful place," she recalled. "We had a lovely walk there. There was a small Buddhist temple, we went there."
Sharma added, "I still remember everyone there. The whole journey is like it happened yesterday. And we were all in our groups sharing our videos. It is really heartbreaking."
The group completed their journey safely and is currently in China, awaiting their return home. "We all feel blessed that we are still here," Sharma expressed. "It could have been us, but we are really, really praying for the people who have lost their life. I have no words to express."
Their planned return route has been disrupted, and they are still awaiting information on how they will travel home. Their journey is anticipated to commence on Saturday.
"Whole villages and all the bridges, everything, the immigration office, everything is now gone," Sharma lamented.
In its most recent update, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that the number of missing individuals in Nepal has climbed to 1,924, with 15,000 security personnel engaged in search and rescue efforts. Among the missing are 517 foreign nationals, 33 of whom are British. Chinese officials have indicated that rescue operations have reached a "critical stage."