Former Virar Municipal Chief Pradeep Tendolkar Escapes Nepal Floods

Former Virar municipal president Pradeep Tendolkar and 25 others from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region had a narrow escape from devastating floods in Nepal, after the hotel where they were staying in Kathmandu was completely swept away just four hours following their departure.

Tendolkar and his group of 25 companions had departed for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage on August 22. The group reached Kathmandu on August 25 and checked into a local hotel while awaiting their visas for Tibet.

The required travel visas were issued at approximately 7 pm on August 25, close to the closing time of the visa office. Because the documents were processed that evening, the group decided to check out and leave the hotel early the following morning, on August 26.

At around 9 am on August 26, barely four hours after the pilgrims had vacated the premises, a massive flood struck the area and swept the hotel away. By the time the floodwaters destroyed the building, Tendolkar and the other members of the group had already progressed on their journey and safely reached the Dolma La Pass.

Tendolkar subsequently sent a video message from Dolma La Pass to his family back home, reassuring them that everyone in the group was safe and accounted for. In the video, he noted how narrow the escape had been for the entire group.

According to Tendolkar, the group was the last batch of travellers permitted to reach the location before authorities closed the route due to the severe weather conditions. He stated that had their visas been delayed any further, they would have remained at the hotel, which could have led to a major tragedy.