Nashik (Maharashtra) [India], August 27 (ANI): Nashik Guardian Minister Girish Mahajan on Thursday confirmed that contact has been established with 40-45 tourists from Nashik who were stranded in Nepal following floods in the neighbouring country and assured that all of them are safe.
Mahajan said relatives of the tourists had approached him after they were unable to establish contact with them earlier.
"Tourists have gone there, and I spoke with them just a short while ago. Their relatives had come to see me; they informed me that contact has now been established," Mahajan said.
"There are 40-45 tourists from Nashik there. Their relatives had been visiting me since morning. Attempts to reach them yesterday were unsuccessful, but contact was finally made with the tourists in Nepal a short while ago. The travellers' relatives conveyed this to me," he added.
Mahajan confirmed that contact had been established and that they were all safe.
The development comes after a massive debris-carrying flood hit Lhende Khola on Wednesday morning following a reported glacier or ice-rock collapse around 20 km northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border point on the Nepal-China border.
The flood entered the Bhote Koshi River from the Tibet side and flowed through Rasuwagadhi, Timure and Syaphru Besi before reaching the Trishuli River. The incident affected areas along the Trishuli River in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan districts.
Temporary shelters, food, clean water and medicines have been arranged for flood victims, while authorities are carrying out search and rescue operations and working to locate missing people.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board, preliminary agency-wise records from trekking and travel companies on Thursday identified 644 missing travellers from the affected area, including 178 Indian nationals. (ANI)
Maharashtra: 40-45 Nashik tourists stranded in Nepal floods safe, contact established, says Guardian Minister Mahajan
