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Nearly 125 Indians stranded in quake-hit Nepal

Source:PTI
April 25, 2015

Nearly 125 people from Maharashtra and Telangana are stranded in Nepal after a high-magnitude earthquake struck the Himalayan nation.

According to officials at the Maharashtra Information Centre in Delhi, around 80 people from Nashik had gone to Nepal for pilgrimage while 15-20 people were on a trekking expedition.

"We have been receiving calls from people from the state, but we are not able to reach them. Around 80 people from Nashik had gone for pilgrimage while the remaining had gone for trekking," said an official at the MIC.

Meanwhile, 25 tourists from Hyderabad, who are in Kathmandu are safe.

Tour organiser Gowrishankar, who took the tourists, said members of their group were safe and moved to an open ground, close to Pashupatinath temple.

"I was in the bathroom on the fourth floor of my hotel when I experienced tremors. Immediately, I took a bed spread and ran down to the floor.

"Now, all of us are safe in an open ground, close to the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu," he said.

Gowrishankar further said they were "fortunate" that there was no damage to their hotel even as some buildings in the vicinity collapsed.

The group comprising people from Hyderbad left on April 17 from Hyderabad and were scheduled to return to Hyderbad after visiting Varanasi.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Civil Avaition and Tourism Mahesh Sharma said Air India and Indigo flights are ready for departure to Kathmandu for rescuing stranded Indians.

"Three Air India flights and some Indigo are ready to take off but the Air Traffic Control in Kathmandu is closed. Once the ATC resumes operations these aircraft will start flying there," he said.

When asked about international flights bound for Kathmandu being diverted to India, he said the flights are being diverted to Delhi and some other airports close to the Nepal capital.

Asked whether stranded Indians would be rescued via roads, he said that option would also explored.

Source: PTI
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