Soldiers carry an injured pilgrim on a stretcher at Joshimath in Uttarakhand on Friday. (PTI)

Patna, June 28: Malti Devi managed to survive the floods in Uttarakhand but the horrific experience continues to haunt her.

The 60-year-old returned to Rajgir five days back. In her sleep, she often shouts: “Bhago! Bhago! Pralay aya! Paani! (Run! Run! The end is nigh! Water!)” The four days for which she was stuck has scarred her.

In the middle of tears, she tells her son Sanjay Kumar Gupta: “Baap re baap! Phir kabhi nahi jayenge! (I shall never go there again!).”

Malti had gone on Chardham Yatra — a pilgrimage circuit comprising Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri — that became the epicentre of the deluge. Along with her group of 20, she was stuck for four days at Rudraprayag.

In between tears, she recalls the nightmarish experience in a soft voice: “Huge stones were falling and the rivers were menacing. Houses and hotels were falling into the water. Hundreds of vehicles were washed away in front of my eyes. People were running to save their lives. We saw water all around us, bodies were floating in the water.”

She added: “It seemed Bholenath (Lord Shiv) was doing tandav!”

Malti falls silent as the memories flood back to haunt her.

Sanjay narrates what his mother had told him. “They had no drinking water. With no alternative, they started to drink the floodwater flowing down the streets and the valley. They were drenched and slept in some derelict structure. They would hold on to each other while sleeping to keep warm.”

Instead of showing mercy to the survivors, the people living in the flood-affected areas exploited them.

“They would charge Rs 100 for a bottle of water, one roti would cost Rs 40 and a plate of rice came for Rs 80,” said Sanjay on behalf of his mother, who is being treated for breathing problems and trauma.

Like her, 55-year-old Shambhu Prasad Singh, who was stuck near Kedarnath for five days, hardly talks to anyone since returning home to Begusarai on June 24.

His son Chhotu said Shambhu keeps getting up in the middle of the night. “My father is in deep shock, he hardly talks to anyone. He usually takes three meals every day. But since returning from Uttarakhand, he has lost his appetite and eats only once. He has high fever and we are worried when he would recover.”

Disaster management minister Renu Kumari said in a media interaction today: “Fifty-six people from Bihar are still stranded in Uttarakhand. A group of 16 has been traced to Badrinath.”

Sources in the department said: “The group is facing shortage of food. There are also problems in the rescue of children and elders in the valley. But we are doing our best.”

Those who have been rescued are still suffering.

Sripati Devi, 55, who returned from Haridwar to her home at Ashok Nagar in Patna on Tuesday starts weeping while narrating her traumatic experience to relatives and neighbours.