Nepal Floods 2018: Rescue operations Underway, Hundreds Evacuated

In a bid to address the chaotic situation surrounding stranded Indian pilgrims stuck in Nepal, the Indian Embassy has started evacuation operations in full swing.

Over 300 pilgrims were rescued from Simikot and Hilsa regions with around 250 people moved from Hilsa to Simikot and more than 90 pilgrims were evacuated from Simikot with the help of six flights on July 5, 2018.

Nepal Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Rabindra Adhikari says that the pilgrims were further airlifted to Surkhet district with the aid of primary and army helicopters.

The rescue operations picked up pace after Indian officials requested Nepal Government to evacuate the stranded Indian nationals using army helicopters.

According to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, over 1,000 pilgrims who were travelling to a pilgrimage site in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) through Nepal were also stranded in Simikot and Hilsa.

A major chunk of pilgrims may have been removed from the affected areas, but the fact remains that over 900 pilgrims are still stuck in Simikot, Hilsa and the Tibet side of Nepal.

Overall, 336 of the total 636 evacuated pilgrims were airlifted on July 4, 2018, while around 300 are still at Simikot.

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