Over 1,500 pilgrims stranded in Nepal, Tibet; rescue ops hit

More than 1,500 Indian pilgrims have been stranded in Nepal and Tibet while returning from the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra after heavy rainfall over the past few days caused landslides at several places, officials said on Tuesday.

At least two pilgrims died – one of possible high altitude sickness and another of a heart attack – and their bodies were airlifted, officials said.

About 525 Indian nationals were stranded at Simikot in western Nepal and another 550 in Hilsa, close to the border with Tibet, while 500 more were stuck on the Tibetan side, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted. A total of 150 pilgrims were transported from Hilsa to Simikot and 104 were transported from Simikot to Nepalgunj on Tuesday, officials said.

The pilgrims in Nepal had been stranded since Monday and efforts to rescue them have been hampered by bad weather, said Pranav Ganesh, first secretary at the Indian embassy in Kathmandu. “As soon as the weather clears, we will rescue them in helicopters and bring them to Nepalgunj,” he said.

Nepalgunj is a city located close to the border with Uttar Pradesh state and thousands of pilgrims use the NepalgunjHumla-Hilsa-Tibet route to travel to Kailash-Mansarovar as it is shorter and more affordable.

Swaraj tweeted that the Nepal government had been requested to provide army helicopters to evacuate the Indians.

The Indian embassy has deployed representatives at Simikot and Nepalgunj to liaise with pilgrims and to ensure that they have food and lodging, she said. Health check-ups were done for all elderly pilgrims in Simikot and they were being provided medical help, while Nepalese police in Hilsa had been requested to provide assistance to the Indians, she said.

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