Bhubaneswar: A group of 20 young athletes from Odisha found themselves caught in uncertainty surrounding Nepal’s devastating floods after travelling to the country for an international sports carnival, even as Pokhara, where they are staying, remained safe from the disaster.Footballers and taekwondoins from Bhubaneswar and other parts of Odisha had reached Nepal on Wednesday to participate in the Indo-Nepal International Sports Carnival. They are safe and staying under the care of their coaches Md Ataul Halim, who is accompanying the football team, and Pratap Majhi and Jasmine Parida, who are with the taekwondo players.The first signs that something was seriously wrong came when the team was travelling towards Pokhara after crossing the India-Nepal border. Local authorities stopped them, warning that landslides could pose a risk following the floods. “We were told there were high chances of landslides, so we had to wait at a spot on the road,” Halim said.The team had entered Nepal only hours before the disaster struck. They were scheduled to play on Thursday and Friday and were due to leave the country on Aug 30. Until they were well into their journey, the youngsters had little sense of how severe the situation had become. “We did not know the extent of the devastation caused by the floods as we had travelled around 200 km from the border and were about to reach Pokhara. Some locals told us that a massive flood had caused large-scale damage and that many people had been caught in it and had gone missing,” he said.The information left the team apprehensive about whether they would be able to proceed to Pokhara. “Initially, we thought we might be asked to return to India,” Halim recalled. After waiting for around 45 minutes, however, the contingent was allowed to proceed, as the route to Pokhara was clear for traffic. The area where the disaster occurred was around 230 km from their location.While Pokhara itself remained unaffected, the floods caused significant damage in other parts of Nepal. Floodwaters affected a lake and Seti river, while infrastructure, including Furkekhola bridge, suffered extensive damage.The coaches are now keeping a close watch on the situation and developments along the route as the team prepares for its return to Odisha.
