The students of the Manipal Medical Campus, Karnataka, had anticipated a beautiful one-week holiday in Srinagar, renowned for its gardens, lakes and boat houses, before returning home for a one-month semester break.
However, they were forced to turn back after arriving at Srinagar, the capital of Jammu & Kashmir, when it was inundated by floods after travelling for 11 hours from Karnataka on Sept 2.
More unfortunately, they were stranded in Awantipora, a Muslim village on a high elevation since Saturday while attempting to make their way to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
One of the students, Nur Hakimah Azhar, 21, said after five days there they boarded an army truck to an army camp and were flown by helicopter to the airport.
“We had lost touch with our families and the Consul General in Chennai for five days. At the army camp, we contacted them to ease their worries,” she told reporters at klia2.
She said they had a rude shock when they saw only the roofs of houses while the surrounding areas were under flood waters when they were aboard the helicopter.
She said they were treated well in terms of food and accommodation at the village despite the shortage of food as the village had been cut off by the floods.
Another student, Norhasmidawati Misnan, 21 said they went to Srinagar from Karnataka for a holiday as they heard the area was very beautiful.
“We did not expect the floods at all because it is not the rainy season,” she added.
— BERNAMA
