More Keralites stranded in Nepal following the devastating floods have begun returning to India, with 45 of the 52 people who contacted NORKA Roots confirmed safe, the agency said on Sunday.
Efforts are underway to trace the remaining seven, NORKA Roots said, adding that their details have been handed over to the Ministry of External Affairs.
A 23-member group that travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage reached Kathmandu around 12.30 am on Sunday and is preparing to return home. The group, comprising 19 Keralites and four British citizens with family roots in Kerala, was caught in the floods while staying at Darchula, the base camp for the pilgrimage. They were later moved to a relief camp through Kothari.
A six-member team of doctors led by Dr Rekha Nair is also returning from Nepal. The team, which completed the Kailash pilgrimage, is travelling towards India and is expected to reach Kathmandu on Sunday evening. Authorities said the members were travelling safely.
Meanwhile, a 44-member group that had travelled to Kathmandu on a tour organised by a travel agency has returned to India and is currently in Gorakhpur. The group left Gorakhpur by bus for Bengaluru and is expected to reach the city around 8.30 pm on Sunday. From Bengaluru, they will travel by bus to Kozhikode and are expected to reach there on Monday morning.
Of the 45 people confirmed safe, 16 had already returned to Kerala on Saturday. The others are safe in Nepal and different parts of India and are making arrangements to return home, NORKA Roots said.
The seven people who remain untraced include four Australian citizens, one British citizen and one US citizen.
NORKA Roots said arrangements had been made for Keralites arriving in India from Nepal to travel onwards to Kerala, following directions from the Chief Minister's Office.
Another 31-member group from Kerala that had been stranded in Nepal reached the state on Sunday.
(With inputs from PTI)
