Sambalpur, July 1: The last rites have long been over, but a glimmer of hope still remains.

The Rathis of Khetrajpur are hoping to get back 17 of their family members, who were washed away in Kedarnath a fortnight ago following flash floods and landslides in Uttarakhand.

Nineteen members of the Rathi family had started their journey from Jharsuguda on June 8 and visited the holy towns of Gangotri and Jamunotri. From there, they reached Kedarnath on June 16 and stayed at the Rajasthan guesthouse near the shrine.

The following morning, disaster struck, with gushes of water gobbling up all but two of them. Suraj Ratan Rathi, 68, and his brother-in-law Vinod Mantri survived the disaster. The duo contacted their family in Sambalpur. They were rescued and brought to Dehradun where other family members met them.

Suraj Ratan has been inconsolable ever since he returned. “It was around 6.45am. We had not even had our morning tea. I heard a sound outside and rushed towards the window. I was shocked to see buildings collapsing like a houses of cards. My loved ones, 17 of them, were swept away in front of my eyes and I could do nothing. I just kept screaming through the window,” he said.

On June 28, the Rathis performed the last rites of the 17 members. They served food to 15 Brahmins and prayed for the peace of the departed souls. However, they are still praying for a miracle.

Suraj Ratan’s son Pramod Rathi said: “We are still trying to find them. Our relatives are trying to search them in various places of Uttarakhand.”

Suraj Ratan’s brother Siv Kumar Rathi said: “Our relatives are looking for them in hospitals and relief camps in Dehradun and Kedarnath.”

So far, nearly 365 tourists from Odisha have been rescued from Uttarakhand and have returned home. The missing person list is yet to be ascertained.