(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) A group of five Omanis who were in Nepal for a trek when the devastating earthquake hit on Saturday have had a lucky escape. They were lucky to be not in Kathmandu when the quake shook the Himalayan country flattening buildings and killing thousands.
Laila al Sinani Oman's first woman motor sports star and her husband were among the group which had set up camp atop a hill in Hattiban some 20km from Kathmandu. Fifteen minutes after setting up tents and preparing to start the trek Laila felt imbalanced and thought she was 'hallucinating' before it occurred to her that it was a quake. 'It was like a hundred people jumping on a trampoline on the other side of the mountain. It seems silly now but it was beyond comprehension for sometime. I realised later it was an earthquake.'
Laila said she tried running to the middle of the hill fearing that its sides would give away. 'The earth was rumbling. It was the scariest sound I have heard in my life. My husband and my friend were clinging on to a tree and they asked me to do the same. It (the quake) lasted for more than 30 seconds.'
Laila and her family joined other members of the group in Nepal on April 23 two days before the disaster.
'Three of our friends were already in Nepal. We stayed in Kathmandu for a day and then headed to Pharaping. We checked into a resort in Hattiban before heading to the hills for the trek and then the quake struck. It lasted forever. The thought that we could die scared us.'
Laila said the group walked back to the resort but could not contact their families. 'The network was down and I could speak to my family only after six anxiety-filled hours.'
From people in buses and cabs coming up the hill the group got to know the gravity of the situation. 'We were told that it was mayhem in Kathmandu...a state of absolute panic.'
The group decided to stay in tents on the hilltop as it was safer. 'We stayed there two nights as we had enough food and water to keep us going. Government officials contacted us on Sunday (April 26).'
While the quake had passed harming none from the group it was daunting task to get transport from the base of the hill to Kathmandu on Monday afternoon. It took them six hours and two taxis to get there. On way to Kathmandu airport Laila had to stop at the Thamel Grand Hotel in the capital to pick up some belongings. She had doubts if the structure had withstood the 7.8 temblor and the strong aftershocks. 'On our way we saw destruction everywhere. The hotel was still standing. We took five flights of stairs to our room picked up our belongings and left.'
At the airport the scene was of utter chaos. 'It was so crowded that we couldn't walk.' An official from Oman was there to facilitate procedures. 'It was a relief to board the flight and reach home on Tuesday. We had about eight more Omanis on the same flight and we all thanked God for getting us home safely.'
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