Bankers recount horrors of Nepal earthquake

KOZHIKODE: “We kept our luggage ready in the room and were sitting at the restaurant waiting for food when the ground started shaking.  The buildings started crumbling and falling like a pack of cards,” recounted Sanish K., a member of Bankmen’s Club team from Kozhikode.

Mr Sanish, employed at Canara Bank’s Chalappuram branch, and his wife Sreekala are part of the team who miraculously escaped from Nepal.

A 72-member team of Bankmen’s was on an annual tour to Kathmandu. They left here on April 17. Of them, 42 had left for India on return trip Saturday morning by train.

The remaining 30, including Sanish, were getting ready to catch their flight when the earthquake hit.

“When we realised it’s an earthquake, we started running out of the hotel and assembled in an open space nearby. After the first shake, 24 more tremors occurred.

By 3 pm, when the tremors stopped, we ran into the hotel and took our luggage and came out. We had kept the bags ready with all necessary documents,” Mr Sanish said.

“By the time we reached the Kathmandu airport, thousands of foreigners and locals have taken shelter there. Next 12 hours, we were standing on the queue. Each time the ground shook, the queue got disrupted and formed line again. By 3 am, the IAF aircraft took us along with 350 other passengers”.

The team reached Delhi by 4.30 am and an MEA under secretary welcomed them. The team will take the Monday evening flight to Kochi and is expected to reach Kozhikode by 10 pm.

Meanwhile, the relatives have no clue about two missing doctors. Dr Deepak Thomas, a native of Kanichar, Kannur, and Dr Irshad  from Kasargod have not yet communicated to their families.

Deepak is the son of Fair Trade Alliance Kerala Chairman Thomas Kalappura. Both were at the Budget Multiplex Hotel in Kathmandu at the time of the earthquake. The hotel collapsed.

The third of the team Dr Abin Surya is under treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and is expected to be shifted to India soon.