Sector 14 resident returns after battling death for 4 days

CHANDIGARH: Jasbagh Singh finds himself lucky to be alive. A pilgrimage to Hemkund Sahib in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand could have turned fatal. For four days, the Sector 14 resident braved the elements, fought the odds, watched death consume hundreds of people and most importantly, hung on to life. As he reached home on Friday morning, he called his return nothing less than a second birth.
"It was such a horrifying sight. Rocks were falling, torrents of water were washing away people and buildings, bodies were lying everywhere, the highway was damaged and, there was no way to escape. I had to sleep on the floor for three days," Jasbagh said. "On Wednesday, I received news from some armymen that another route from Pauri was open. I just headed towards that place without thinking anything. I reached Dehradun and finally Chandigarh. It's like a second birth for me, coming out of the mouth of death," he added.
Jasbagh's mother Surjit Kaur was tense when she could not establish contact with him. "I was able to communicate with him for three days, but we lost contact on the fourth day. Bad thoughts started swirling in my mind. I am very grateful to God that my son has returned home safely," she said. Another four residents from the Tricity too made it back safely. Mohit Garg, a resident of Sector 21 in Panchkula, whose parents, sister and daughter were rescued on Thursday night, says, "I am very happy that my parents and family members have returned safely back home but I am still worried about the fate of thousands of people stuck there."
"If I would have got news about the alternate routes, I would have gone myself to bring them back. Unfortunately, there was no one to inform me. But now, I am trying to help people by telling them about a new route, "Rudraprayag to Pauri, and from there to Dehradhun, is open," he says.