Mumbai: Sixty-nine pilgrims and tourists from Maharashtra who were stranded following the Himalayan flash floods crossed the China border into Nepal through the Kodari immigration centre late on Saturday and will reach Mumbai on Monday.Officials said 262 of 404 residents of Maharashtra whose information was registered with the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) are still stuck in Nepal or China. They said nearly 150 had returned earlier.Among those still missing are 66 from Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and Pune who were undertaking the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra and were led by veteran Mumbai mountaineer Dr Milind P Chitley. Having cleared immigration, they were waiting in three buses ahead of the Timure immigration centre on the Nepal-China border for the gates on the Chinese side to open when a massive flash flood swept through Timure, destroying the immigration complex and surrounding infrastructure on Aug 26. Representatives of Dr Chitley’s Mumbai-based adventure company Hills & Trails and Kathmandu-based Richa Treks, which had provided the buses, met officials at the Indian embassy in Kathmandu to seek emergency support. They said officials assured them that the Nepalese army would first channel information concerning missing Indians nationals through the embassy, which would then update families.Officials said the SEOC, which can be contacted through helpline 1070—has been coordinating with the ministry of external affairs, sending information about those in disaster-affected areas of Nepal, China and Tibet. They said rescue teams have been deployed at various locations and search operations are underway. “Due to the active follow-up of CM Devendra Fadnavis and the accurate guidance of disaster management Minister Girish Mahajan, planned efforts are being made by the SEOC through facilities and assistance,” said an official.Vinita Ved Singal, principal secretary of the state disaster management department, and director Bhalchandra Chavan are continuously monitoring the proceedings. Officials said information is being shared and verified by district systems, travel agencies and affected families, and a response mechanism is in place. “Updated information is being shared with the integrated control room in Delhi, comprising the emergency response control room, the MEA’s control room and Maharashtra Sadan,” said the official.
