Nagpur, Aug 30: As many as 102 pilgrims from Nagpur, who were stranded in Kathmandu following devastating flash floods in Nepal, returned home safely on Sunday morning, officials said.
The pilgrims, along with four others from different parts of the Vidarbha region, had travelled to Nepal on August 19 to visit the Pashupatinath Temple and other religious sites. They remained in Kathmandu until August 27 after flash floods hit the Nepal-Tibet border region.
While four Vidarbha pilgrims returned by flight on Saturday, the remaining 102 reached Nagpur Railway Station by train at around 4.30 am on Sunday. Nagpur BJP president Dayashankar Tiwari was present at the station to receive them.
Pilgrim Yogesh Gawande said they were fortunate to return to India safely amid the devastating situation in Nepal, where the floods have reportedly claimed at least 675 lives and left nearly 2,400 people missing.
Another pilgrim thanked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for facilitating their safe return. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Fadnavis remained in touch with Nepal MP Sandeep Rana regarding arrangements for the pilgrims’ evacuation.
The pilgrims travelled by bus from Kathmandu to Janakpur in Bihar on August 28 and reached Danapur the following day. From there, they travelled to Patna and boarded a train for Nagpur.
Pandit Sridhar Tripathi, who was leading the group, said one of the pilgrims, 72-year-old Nirmala Pandey, remains hospitalised in Kathmandu after suffering a heart attack. Her son from Nagpur has reached Kathmandu and is attending to her.
Meanwhile, four other pilgrims from Vidarbha — Indira Chaudhary, 65, Sulochna Khapre of Wardha, and Deepak Pande and Varsha Upadhyay of Hinganghat — returned safely to Nagpur on Saturday.
The four had flown from Kathmandu to Delhi on August 28 before travelling to Nagpur aboard the Kerala Express. Their safe return brought relief to their families.
