India’s Ministry of External Affairs has said 288 Indian nationals are either stranded or unreachable in Nepal because of the disaster.
Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Thursday afternoon, August 27: “According to information received so far, there are 288 Indian nationals in Nepal who are either stranded or with whom we have been unable to make contact due to the flash floods. Of these, 73 are employed at the Trishuli One power project. Our embassy in Kathmandu has been in contact with the official responsible for that project.”
He said communication systems in the area have been severely damaged by the disaster, but rescue operations are under way.
Alongside these workers, Indian tourists are also among those affected. These include two groups of pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, of 37 and 49 people respectively, heading toward Kailash and Mansarovar, and a group of 32 from West Bengal.
The West Bengal tourist group was near Timure in the Rasuwa region — the same district where the flash flood struck.
There is also a group of 33 from Kerala and another group of 61 from various parts of India with whom contact has not yet been possible.
Twenty-one tourists from Tamil Nadu have reportedly been rescued. Arrangements are being made to bring them back quickly.
Jaiswal said: “We are making every effort on our end to contact Indian nationals. We remain in regular contact with Nepali authorities.”
Many of the pilgrims traveling toward Kailash and Mansarovar remain stranded on the Chinese side. The Indian Embassy in Beijing is in contact with them.
Jaiswal said: “An estimated 200 Indian nationals are stranded there. We are working to rescue them safely.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report