Maharashtra Contacts 338 Stranded in Nepal Floods as Repatriation Begins
The Maharashtra government has established contact with 338 of the 404 people from the state stranded in Nepal following flash floods and mudslides, officials announced on Saturday. Multiple groups have begun their journey home to various districts, while authorities are actively working to trace eight missing residents from Mumbai's Borivali and Andheri neighbourhoods.
According to an official statement, about 143 citizens are successfully on their way back to the state. A group of 41 tourists returned from Saga on Saturday evening, while 106 tourists are scheduled to reach Nagpur on Sunday morning after travelling from Bihar. Another 45 tourists, who travelled with an Ahilyanagar-based travel agency and were in Chitwan during the flooding, entered India via Lumbini and are being routed through Ayodhya due to route closures towards Kathmandu.
A total of 69 tourists are expected to land in Mumbai by August 31. Officials noted that government agencies are working round the clock to assist stranded citizens, many of whom had travelled for religious tourism. Dedicated helplines have been set up to coordinate relief operations, although officials mentioned that direct one-to-one contact with every individual remains challenging.
The state administration is also attempting to locate eight tourists from Borivali and Andheri who remain untraced. Efforts are being made to establish communication with Lakshminarayan Acharya from Andheri and others in his group, though mobile network disruptions have hindered contact. The administration remains in continuous touch with their relatives in Mumbai.
Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs provided a list of 149 Indian tourists who safely entered Nepal from China by August 28. District administrations across Maharashtra have been instructed to verify details and ensure their safe transit home. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's Emergency Control Room reported that it has not received calls regarding missing citizens from Mumbai city or suburban districts so far.
