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A routine tea break turned into a life-saving decision for five friends from Chhattisgarh who were travelling through Nepal. The group had stopped at a hotel in Dhading district on August 26. Just minutes earlier, they were on the road. Then the flash flood struck.

The five men were Narayan Sen, Dinesh Ojha, Prem Singh Jagat, Yatendra Prakash and Dinesh Singh Thakur. All are residents of the Mana Camp area in Raipur. They are aged between 50 and 60.

The friends had left Raipur on August 21 and reached Nepal the next day. They had hired a car and planned to visit Pashupatinath Temple, Manakamana Temple and other tourist spots. But their holiday quickly turned into a fight for survival.

‘If We Had Left 10–15 Minutes Earlier’

The group stopped for tea at around 10 am on August 26. While they were inside the hotel, they learnt that a bridge ahead had been washed away.

“We were lucky that we stopped for tea on August 26 when the flash floods struck. If we had left 10–15 minutes earlier, we might have got trapped,” 53-year-old Sen, who runs a salon, told news agency PTI.

“Had we not stopped there, we do not know what would have happened,” he said.

The hotel was owned by an Indian national. He helped the group with food and shelter as the situation outside worsened. The friends then moved towards higher ground in Malekhu. They spent the night inside their rented vehicle as the swollen Trishuli river continued to rage nearby.

‘What We Saw Is Very Difficult To Describe’

Dinesh Singh Thakur, a 55-year-old police head constable, said the group was around 50 km from Pashupatinath Temple when the disaster struck.

“While having tea at the hotel, we noticed people suddenly becoming restive. Later, we learnt about the devastation caused by the flood,” he recalled.

The men later saw the destruction along the Trishuli river.

“We heard that entire villages, buildings, offices and hydropower projects had been devastated,” Thakur said.

“What we saw is very difficult to describe in words,” he added.

The situation remained tense as the group waited for conditions to improve. There was no electricity or water in the area.

“We kept chanting Lord Shiva’s name, and we feel his blessings protected us,” Thakur said.

He also praised the local administration and police for helping stranded people.

“There was no electricity and water, but the administration and police helped us. They told us that we were at a higher place and should not worry,” he said.

Internet Helped Them Stay In Touch With Families

Despite the difficult conditions, the five friends managed to remain in contact with their families in India. Internet services were still working in the area. The group also used the helpline provided by the Indian government to share their location.

“Internet service was working well there, so we remained in contact with our families and did not panic,” Thakur said.

The group finally managed to leave Nepal on August 28.  Their journey home also brought an unexpected emotional moment.

Rakhi Tied By Women Security Personnel

The friends were carrying rakhis given to them by their sisters before the trip. During their stay in Nepal, local women security personnel tied the rakhis on their wrists. The gesture came around Raksha Bandhan and became one of the most comforting moments of their ordeal.

“We were supposed to return from the trip after the Rakhi festival, so our sisters had already given us rakhis. The women security personnel deployed there tied these rakhis on our wrists. That was the most comforting moment,” Thakur said.

For Dinesh Ojha, the memories of the disaster will not fade easily.

“We will never be able to forget what we saw. Many people were desperately searching for their missing family members,” he said.

The group also feared that another flood could hit the area.

“We slept in our car, but we could not really sleep. There was always the fear that another flood might come,” Ojha told PTI.

“We are happy that finally we have reached back home,” he added.

Nepal Flash Flood Death Toll Rises

The disaster has caused widespread destruction across Nepal and neighbouring Tibet. As of Sunday morning, Nepal’s official death toll from Wednesday’s flash flood had reached 734. Nearly 2,426 people were still reported missing in Nepal.

In Tibet, Chinese authorities have confirmed 16 deaths, while 554 people remain missing in Gyirong County. For the five friends from Raipur, however, the disaster will forever be remembered for one small decision: stopping for tea at exactly the right time.

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