BENGALURU: Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) officials feared that the number of people from Karnataka stranded in Nepal and Tibet could further increase from the existing 28 as of Friday.
An official said, “We have a confirmed number so far. Now, as the rescue operations and excavation works continue in other parts of Nepal, the number of those stranded could increase. The cascading effect will be downstream and more people could be affected. We are on alert and trying to get information from various tour operators.”
KSDMA officials said a discussion will be held with the Karnataka government asking them to make it mandatory for all tour operators to share details of all tourists travelling overseas and to such vulnerable locations in future. This will help in establishing contact faster in times of disaster, an official said.
The official admitted that it has taken a lot less time to trace those stranded compared to earlier natural disasters and other untoward incidents.