Kathmandu: Twenty-three Indian pilgrims,
including a Rajasthan lawmaker who were stranded on the
Nepalese side of border near Tibet after returning from
Kailash-Mansarovar, were evacuated safely on Tuesday, an Indian
Embassy official said.
The pilgrims, including MLA Mohan Lal Gupta, who were
stranded due to bad weather at Hilta in Simikot district of
north-west Nepal, were flown to Nepalgunj and then taken to
Kathmandu before flying to their respective destinations in
India, said A.K. Roy, Consular Section staff at the Indian
Embassy in the capital.
"They were suffering from high-altitude sickness and
were stranded there due to bad weather for three days," he
said.
Kailash-Mansarovar is regarded as one of the holiest
pilgrim destinations for Hindus. The pilgrims were from
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, said the official,
who coordinated the rescue operation.
The Rajasthan legislator, who was accompanied by his
wife, developed high altitude sickness due to the lack of
oxygen in the rarified air in Tibet.
The embassy had arranged for helicopters to take them
back as they were stranded at the Nepal-Tibet border while
returning to Kathmandu.
Every year thousands of Indian nationals visit
Kailash-Mansarovar, a famous Hindu-Buddhist pilgrim site, via
Nepal.
PTI
