- Eight Assam workers stranded in Nepal floods have returned home safely
- They were employed at Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Nepal
- Floodwaters forced workers to higher ground, some stayed two days without food
Eight workers from Assam who were stranded in Nepal following the deadly flash floods have returned home, while eight others from the state remain missing, officials said.
The workers were employed at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Nepal. They reached Assam late Sunday after being evacuated with the help of Nepalese authorities and the Assam government.
Those who have returned are Pankaj Barman, Gopal Chand Debnath, Gautam Das, Samar Bezbaruah, Sarvishan Marak, Saneswar Narzary, Silva Marak and Elipson Sangma.
For the workers, the ordeal began when floodwaters and debris swept through the area, forcing them to move to higher ground.
Pankaj Barman, a resident of Nalbari, said the group ran towards the hills after hearing a loud noise. They later remained there without basic supplies.
"After hearing the huge sound, we realised something serious had happened and started moving towards the hills. We eventually reached the top and stayed there," Barman said.
According to him, 13 people from Assam were working at the project when the disaster struck. Some of the workers spent two days on higher ground without food or drinking water.
Barman said army helicopters eventually spotted them and dropped water and biscuits. Two days later, the stranded workers were taken to Kathmandu, from where arrangements were made for their return to India.
Gautam Das, who is from Hojai, said the experience was something he would never forget.
"I saw death up close and somehow survived," Das said.
After reaching India by air, the workers were taken by road to Dhubri before leaving for their respective home districts.
But while eight workers have made it back, their return has done little to ease the worry of families whose relatives remain missing.
The Assam government had earlier said 16 people from the state were missing in connection with the Nepal disaster. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma released the names of 12 missing people on August 28.
A day later, Sarma said the authorities had established contact with eight stranded residents and that efforts were underway to bring them back to Assam with assistance from the Nepal government.
The state government has also set up helplines for families looking for relatives stranded or missing in Nepal.
Officials said relatives of another eight people have approached the helplines for information. Direct contact with those reported missing has not yet been established.
Search efforts are continuing in coordination with authorities in Nepal, they said.
With inputs from Jyotishman Sharma in Nalbari
