More Keralites stranded in Nepal following devastating floods have begun their journey back to India, according to NORKA Roots. The Kerala government agency said 45 of the 52 people who contacted its help desk after the floods have been confirmed safe, while efforts are continuing to trace the remaining seven.
NORKA Roots, which coordinates overseas affairs and welfare services for non-resident Keralites, said several groups stranded in Nepal have started making their way home as travel arrangements are being organised.
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Among those returning is a 23-member group that had travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage. The group, which includes 19 Keralites, reached Kathmandu at around 12.30 am on Sunday and is preparing to return to India.
The pilgrims had been caught in the floods while staying at Darchula, which serves as a base camp for the Kailash pilgrimage. They were subsequently moved to a camp through Kothari, NORKA Roots said.
A six-member medical team led by Dr Rekha Nair is also among those making their way back. The doctors had completed the Kailash pilgrimage and were travelling towards India, with the team expected to reach Kathmandu on Sunday evening.
Authorities said the members of the groups were travelling safely. The remaining members of the 23-person group are British citizens with family roots in Kerala.
Meanwhile, another 44-member group that had travelled to Kathmandu through a travel agency has already returned to India and is currently in Gorakhpur. The group left Gorakhpur by bus for Bengaluru and was expected to reach the city around 8.30 pm on Sunday.
From Bengaluru, the travellers will continue their journey by bus to Kozhikode and are expected to reach the Kerala city on Monday morning, August 31, according to NORKA Roots.
Of the 52 people who contacted the agency’s helpline after the flood situation developed, 45 have now been confirmed safe. They are currently in Nepal or different parts of India and are taking steps to return home. Sixteen of those confirmed safe had already reached Kerala on Saturday.
However, seven people remain untraced. NORKA Roots said four of them are Australian citizens, one is a British citizen and another is a US citizen. Their details have been handed over to the Ministry of External Affairs for further action.
The agency said arrangements have also been made for people arriving in India from Nepal to continue their journey to Kerala, following directions from the Chief Minister’s Office.
In a further development, another 31-member group from Kerala that had been stranded in Nepal reached the state on Sunday, adding to the number of people successfully brought back from the flood-affected region.
