Hundreds of tourists from Maharashtra stranded in Nepal, numbers expected to rise

Around 125 tourists from Maharashtra have been stranded in Nepal after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the nation on Saturday. Of these, over a 100 are believed to be from Nashik.

In an effort to ensure the tourists' safe return, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis set up a 24x7 emergency cell at Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi to assist relatives of stranded tourists. The emergency cell, headed by Maharashtra additional resident commissioner Samir Sahai, had managed to locate almost 105 tourists by late Saturday evening.

40 tourists were Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation nurses and almost 50 were with tour company Kesari Travels, while 15 were visiting Nepal independently, said Sahai. "The nurses were traced to a Hotel Ghoshal and are safe. We are yet to get information on the tourists travelling with Kesari. The other 15 will reach India tomorrow," said Sahai, adding that the cell was working with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Nashik district collector Dipendra Singh Kushawa said the figures of stranded tourists from Nashik could rise as further information came in. "We have set up a control room for the relatives of those stranded in Nepal. The district collectorate will also help locate people who were travelling to north Indian regions affected by the quake," he told dna.

Around 50 from Nashik had gone on a pilgrimage to Kathmandu's Pashupatinath Temple with Chaoudhary Yatra Company. "They are safe, and a 10-person team in Nepal is co-ordinating their return journey. We are working out the modalities," said Brijmohan Choudhary of Chaoudhary Yatra Company.

Meanwhile, a worried Abhay Kulkarni is yet to establish contact with his brother, Praveen. "He had left for Nepal on April 22 and was to proceed to Pokhara on Saturday. But on Saturday morning, we got the news that Nepal was hit by an earthquake. The only respite was the news on a TV channel, which said that 15 families from Nashik are safe. I have been constantly trying to contact Praveen ever since," he said.

Maharashtra Sadan 24x7 emergency cell: 011-23380325
Nashik district collectorate control room number: 0253-2317151