Though not critically injured, they are still in a state of shock. In a trance-like state they recalled the horror of that night.

``It was around 12.30 a.m., we were woken up by a loud blast-like sound and stone started falling over our heads and a strong wind swept us off our feet. The roof of our shelter gave way and half of me was buried under a boulder,'' said Dhan Singh, an employee of the General Road Engineering Force (GREF) who was part of a 38-member team conducting a survey in the area.

These survivors have confirmed a fact that none from the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra Dal have survived the landslide. In fact the six survivors were saved because they were staying at a hotel a little above the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam camp.

ChandraSingh from a village in Nepal was going to Bundi to attend a shrad ceremony along with six other members. His story is a miracle as he was saved after he had spent two days and two nights under a huge stone.

The unbearable pain mixed with thirst is what he remembers most. He also shared the cave-like structure with another dead body. ``My mouth was full of bajri (small stones). I was scared of moving out and my hand was broken. I only shouted for help when I heard the ITBP soldiers. It was Devi Mata who saved me. I kept invoking her,'' he added.

Among the two porters who are alive, Hyat Singh recalled the yatris whose luggage he was carrying. ``They were a nice couple from Pune who asked me if I would accompany them to Pune. The wife addressed her husband as Raju.''

The Pune-couple's porter was saved because after depositing their luggage he decided to sleep at the hotel on top. ``I just stood in one corner while stones fell all around me killing six, seven people,'' he added.

Healso recalled the other porter pointing out Protima Bedi to him.

The only people who managed to reach the site were the ITBP jawans from the northern end. ``They provided us first-aid, food and shelter,'' said Hyat Singh who was buried head down. ``The whistles and torch-lights were a god-send.''

The ITBP jawans held fort till today when the sky cleared up for the first time and the army could fly in their choppers up to Malpa. ``The whole of Malpa has been levelled and there is nothing visible. To make matters worse the stones could continue to fall every day,'' said Chandra Singh, another survivor.

In the Ranthi-Bora village the locals had an occasion to rejoice when Gopal Singh, a porter whom they had given up for dead was back with minor injuries. But the other eight people from the same village are still missing.

All the survivors were given tetanus injections and pain killers by a team of 17 doctors. ``Finally we are feeling that we are doing something. The last few days were very frustrating,''said the CMO (Chief Medical Officer) Pithoragarh, MS Kanwar.