The group of senior citizens who were on a trip to the Andamans when tsunamis struck, returned home safely on Tuesday, shaken. They are still to get over the shock and trauma of the Black Sunday when they survived the sea’s fury.
“The waves were huge and looked like white clouds approaching us,” said Baldev Patel, describing the tsunami that struck the island. Patel was among the group of 14 from the city which had gone on a 12-day tour of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They were to visit the cellular jail and the lovely beaches of Havlock Island but what ensued was confusion and chaos.
“On Christmas day we were at the cellular jail which was a fantastic experience. We had no clue what was in store for us,” said Ramanik Shrimali, the tour organiser who accompanied the team which landed in Port Blair on December 21.
“It appeared as if the waves would devour us,” recounted Patel. He said the team left for the famous Radha Beach on Havlock Island at around 6 am on Sunday morning.
“While we were on the way, the earthquake struck at 6.29 am and the bus came to a halt. We rushed out of the bus. The earth shook for around one and a half minutes after which we saw huge waves approaching the coastline,” said Patel.
The team rushed inland only to be told that their hotel was partially submerged in water.
“Policemen went around asking people to stay on high ground and avoid the sea,” said Rajnikant Shah, another member of the team.
The team returned to Port Blair on December 27, a three-hour journey by a jetty, fearing when the sea would strike next. “We reached Port Blair only to know that the communication systems were down and there was no water or electricity,” said Mahadevbhai Raval. They somehow managed to get four rooms in a school to spend the night.
The next week was a mad rush running from one place to another trying to avoid tsunamis and their after-effects. They had no idea about the devastation Sunday’s tsunamis had caused.
“It was only when we came to Tamil Nadu were realised the magnitude of the disaster and that lakhs had been killed. There were no information system to keep us updated,” said Patel. With no word on their safety, worried relatives back home sat glued to televison sets for updates.
Vadodara collector Bhagyesh Jha finally was able to get in touch with his counterpart in Port Blair and located the team.
“We were lucky to have left the place immediately. We heard that bigger waves hit the coast after we left,” said Raval.
Though these Barodians did not see any deaths, the sound of waves lashing and atmosphere was a fearful experience itself.
However, these elders have not lost their desire to travel. “We had to cut short the trip but in January 2006, we will go back to Port Blair,” said Shrimali.