4 min learnPuneUp to date: Aug 27, 2026 01:54 PM IST
Actor Ankur Ratan, identified for his work in internet sequence and movies resembling Mai, nonetheless can not consider that only a day earlier he was taking footage at Rasuwa—a district north of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu that borders Tibet—the place a catastrophic flash flood on Wednesday left more than 150 people dead and over 500 missing.
“All of us had been so gung-ho concerning the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Solely a day in the past, my spouse, a cousin and I had been taking footage there. My mother-in-law Dr Amita Suchak accomplished the Kailash Mansarovar Parikrama in 1989, and aside from the religious worth, we’re avid trekkers and searching ahead to finishing the strolling circuit,” the actor, who’s from Mumbai, informed The Indian Specific on Thursday.
Ratan is a part of a bunch led by SAAD Mountaineers, a registered membership in Maharashtra, that has halted at Saga city—situated at 15,223 ft above sea stage—an important cease for pilgrims travelling to Mount Kailash.
Rajan Deshmukh, a founding member of SAAD Mountaineers, mentioned the workforce has 28 members: 19 from Mumbai, two every from Pune, Akola, and Nashik, and one every from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Singapore. “Simply 18 hours in the past, we had been on the identical spot. Kya naseeb hai apna (Simply see our destiny),” Deshmukh mentioned, summing up the group’s feeling.
Pune-based advocate Surendra Datar and Sonal Datar, additionally a part of the SAAD group, mentioned they can not consider that they had been on the identical location barely seven to eight hours earlier than catastrophe struck. “It’s actually stunning that we had been on the lodge which was simply 10 to fifteen minutes away from the location of the catastrophe,” Sonal informed The Indian Specific.
“We’re presently shifting in direction of Mansarovar and can ultimately start our parikrama of Mount Kailash. I’d like to undertake the complete 52-km parikrama in reminiscence of all those that have misplaced their lives whereas making an attempt this sacred and arduous yatra. It might be my humble approach of paying tribute to them and holding their reminiscence with us via the journey,” Ratan, who reached Kathmandu on August 22, mentioned.
The actor mentioned the magnitude of the catastrophe has left him with blended feelings. “There’s immense gratitude that my spouse Shilpa Suchak, her cousin Sonali Kapadia, and I handed via the identical spot simply 12-16 hours earlier. On the identical time, my coronary heart bleeds for the households who’ve misplaced their family members,” he added.
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Umesh Zirpe, a veteran mountaineer and president of the Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh, an apex organisation for mountaineering in Maharashtra, mentioned they had been making an attempt to help with the continued reduction efforts. “This can be very regarding that contact has not been established with a number of pilgrims from numerous components of the nation who travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and are stranded,” he added.
As per reviews from the Nepal police, whereas 157 our bodies have been recovered, the demise toll is ready to rise. Amongst these lacking are 133 Indians, 47 Individuals, 34 Australians, 33 British nationals, 24 Canadians, and many others.
