Over 200 Indian pilgrims stranded in Nepal’s Humla

More than 200 Indian pilgrims have been stranded in Nepal’s Humla district while returning from the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra due to bad weather, officials have said.

According to the Indian embassy in Kathmandu, 154 pilgrims are stranded in Simikot — the district headquarters of Humla — and 50 in Hilsa, close to the border with Tibet. These are the two areas where an estimated 1200 Indian pilgrims had been stranded in July.

The embassy said inclement weather in Nepal has meant that it is impossible to airlift those stranded in Hilsa to Simikot, and those in Simikot to the border city of Nepalgunj, just four hours from Lucknow.

Simikot has basic boarding and lodging facilities to hold up to 500 pilgrims comfortably, the embassy said, adding that there are also facilities of medical examination and first aid. Though the pilgrims are stranded in Humla since Saturday, there is no complaint of lodging and medical difficulties, it said.

The embassy said its representatives in Simikot, Hilsa and Nepalganj are on alert and are continuously monitoring the situation.

First Published: Aug 05, 2018 21:30 IST