Indian family’s dream trip to Kazakhstan turns into nightmare after man breaks thighbone in fall

A dream holiday trip to Kazakhstan recently turned into a living nightmare for an Indian-origin family when an accident left a member with a broken thighbone.

And lack of support from the Indian Embassy and the language barrier added to the woes of the stranded family desperately seeking help to come out of the trouble.

In a series of posts on X, a user who goes by user ‘JD’ detailed the horrible experience of his friend’s cousin, identified only as ‘J’, who traveled with his wife and two children from Kuwait to Kazakhstan to celebrate the New Year.

Their snowy gateway took a disastrous turn when J slipped on ice and fell, breaking his femur – a painful injury that required immediate medical attention.

“My friend's cousin traveled to Kazakhstan from Kuwait for a New Year getaway with his wife and two children aged 4 and 6. What was supposedly a dream trip to a winter wonderland, quickly turned into a nightmare. On Jan 3 morning, 'J’ slipped on the snow and fell hard on his butt and somehow broke his femur,” JD said in his post and also shared the screenshot of his WhatsApp conversation.

At a government hospital, J was informed he needed surgery. However, his wife, wary of the local healthcare standards, sought advice from the Malayali Association of Kazakhstan. They strongly advised against undergoing surgery in the country, urging the family to return to Kuwait or India instead.

“They rushed him to a govt hospital in an ambulance, where doctors told him he needed immediate surgery. Language was a huge issue there. Unsure of the quality of medical and surgical care and outcome, the wife found out the number of local Malayali, who alerted the Malayali association there,” he said.

“They were quick & offered full support. They too advised her against surgery there, instead asked her to fly him back to Kuwait or Kochi,” he added.

Desperation mounted as the language barrier and lack of support from the Indian Embassy left the family stranded. The embassy, according to JD, was of little help providing only the contact number of an airline and no further assistance.

“The wife, by now completely distressed, contacted the Embassy of the by-now, who, as expected, proved to be completely apathetic. They just gave her the contact number of Air Astana to inquire about flying him out. That's it; our officials didn't offer to contact her or go with her to help,” he said in a post on X.

Returning to India was no easy fear. J’s condition required him to lie flat during the flight, but no airlines operating from Kazakhstan offered stretcher services.

The only other option, an air ambulance, came with a staggering price tag of Rs 60–70 lakh, well beyond the family’s means.

“J can't sit, he has to be flown in a supine position on a stretcher and no airline has the facility to accommodate one. She tried various airlines -QA, EK, AI including Jazeera Airlines, with whom they flew from Kuwait. Air ambulance to India would cost 6-7 million,” JD said in an X post.

Finally, an IndiGo engineer from Kerala intervened, securing special approval to retrofit an aircraft by removing eight seats to accommodate a stretcher. The flight, however, would only take the family as far as Delhi, requiring arrangements for their onward journey to Kochi.

“In the end, an engineer working for Indigo in Kerala managed to get special approval to remove 8 seats and accommodate a stretcher, but even then they'd only fly him to New Delhi. From there again he has to be flown to Kochi, so his family can take care of him post-surgery,” he said in another post on X.

Even as the family braced for their flight, another hurdle emerged. IndiGo required a medical evacuation form to be signed by a Kazakh doctor, who would only sign off on forms from the hospital he worked at, adding yet another layer of bureaucracy to an already agonizing ordeal.

In another post, JD urged travelers to always be prepared for the unexpected. He emphasized the importance of travel insurance, having contact details for local Indian associations, and using reliable translation tools to navigate potential language barriers.

“It's highly advised to be prepared for all eventualities. Always have the numbers of emergency services and local Indian associations of the country you're traveling to,” he said.

As the family navigates their way home, their story, as JD said, serves as a chilling reminder for all travelers to prepare for the unexpected.