Nepal flash floods: 37 pilgrims from Maharashtra stranded in Tibet head to Kathmandu

MUMBAI: As many as 37 pilgrims from Maharashtra who were stranded in Tibet after completing their Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, amid flash floods in Nepal, departed for Kathmandu on Friday morning following the intervention of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the group, which includes pilgrims from Thane, Pune, Raigad, Alibag, and Dombivli, left Saga, Tibet around 6 am via the Nyalam check-post and is travelling safely towards the Nepalese capital.

Their return flight from Kathmandu is scheduled for 2 pm on August 29, making it critical for them to reach the capital in time, the statement said.

The group, accompanied by Pramod Kene of Jai Girnari Trust, Alibag, had been stranded at Saga while returning from Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as floods struck Nepal.

The CMO stated that pilgrims Nitin Shirke and Rakesh Jitekar alerted Fadnavis about their situation through Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan.

Upon learning of their plight, the chief minister immediately directed officials to take necessary measures, following which the state government urgently coordinated with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The ministry promptly extended the required assistance to facilitate their movement, the release said.

The pilgrims expressed their gratitude to Fadnavis, the Maharashtra government, and the MEA for their swift intervention during the crisis, it added.

The massive flash flood originating in Tibet swept through central Nepal on Wednesday, devastating several towns and villages, washing away critical bridges and crippling a dozen hydropower projects as it gushed downstream, affecting multiple districts.

Earlier, the state Disaster Management Department had said that at least 114 people from Maharashtra were stuck in the Himalayan nation, and 53 of them were confirmed safe.