180 Indians on Mansarovar pilgrimage stranded in Nepal's Humla

Kathmandu: Nearly 180 Indians on way back home from Mansarovar pilgrimage are stranded in Humla district in Nepal due to bad weather, official sources said on Sunday.

However, the numbers are not alarming and it will take just a day of good weather and normal operation of flights to evacuate all the stranded persons, the Indian Embassy here said.

It confirmed that these persons were stranded in Simikot, the district headquarters of Humla, and Hilsa on the Nepal-China border.

A headcount on Saturday evening in both places revealed that 124 pilgrims were stuck in Simikot and 50 in Hilsa or on way to Hilsa, the embassy said.

Due to bad weather, it was impossible to airlift these Indians from Hilsa to Simikot and Simikot to Nepalgunj, a border city which is only a four-hour drive from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

In July, over 2,000 Indian pilgrims were stranded but were airlifted to safety. Nepal is a popular destination for Indian pilgrims to visit Mansarovar due to the distance and comfort factors involved.

Simikot has basic board and lodging facilities for 500 pilgrims, the embassy said, along with medical and first-aid facilities.

The pilgrims stranded in Humla since Saturday have not complained about board and lodging and medical services, it added.

Embassy's representatives in Simikot, Hilsa, Nepalganj are on alert and monitoring the situation. The embassy will ensure timely evacuation of stranded pilgrims in case of emergency, the statement said