India, July 2 -- Around a hundred pilgrims from Maharashtra, trapped by the cloudburst that struck the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand on June 28, walked 6km to escape starvation after being stuck for more than two days in their hotels as food ran out.

Members of the group spoke to HT as they picked their way downhill in the rain, across slippery mountain terrain, towards Barkot, the nearest village. "We started to wonder whether we would get out of our hotel at all. Since we had run out of food and drinking water, it was not possible to stay. Eventually, we left. Hopefully, we will reach safely before it rains again," said a weary Sujay Dalvi, a 48-year-old resident of Thane, on the yatra with five friends.

Pilgrims in more ways than on...