The simple saree saved the lives of 21 Tamil Nadu pilgrims who were stuck in Nepal near the border of Tibet after a devastating landslide and flood in the country. The group finally arrived in Chennai on Friday night, having escaped after climbing muddy slopes, passing through thorny bushes and waiting for over a day before they were picked up by helicopter.

A Surge Of Mud And Rocks

The pilgrims were in a group of 57 in three buses organised by an agency in the city of Kumbakonam. They departed Syabrubesi around 8am for Chinese immigration, their bus being in the middle of the convoy.

In minutes the trip turned around suddenly when rocks and mud started rolling down the mountain. A headmistress from Kanchipuram district, Sathya, who survived the disaster, said that the debris at first appeared as a cloud of dust. Soon there was a huge wave estimated to be 70 to 80 feet tall.

The second bus had stopped for a short while due to the mud getting stuck in the bus. The brief wait made a big difference. Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and rocks started falling on the vehicle, and then the water started flowing towards the passengers. While mud was already up to their feet, the passengers left by the driver’s door looking for a path to the top of the...