At least seven migrant workers from Salyan have been killed in floods in Uttarakhand.

Families and colleagues of the seven migrant workers, who had gone to Kedarnath to work as wage earners, said they were killed in the floods. 

Krishna Bahadur Wali of Salyan’s Sarmakot VDC told THT over phone that Tularam KC, Tularam Khatri, Meg Bahadur Wali, Lakshyu Kshetri, Ram Bahadur Khatri , Tanka Chad and Dilli Bahadur Wali of Darmakot and Kotwara VDCs were killed in the floods. Seven others, including Buddhiman Wali, Lok Bahadur Wali, Lal Bahadur Wali, Mabir Wali, Bhagiram Gharti Magar, were out of contact. 

Labourer Kul Prasad Pandey told THT over phone from Kedarnath that as many as 150 Nepalis from Salyan had been missing since the floods. In addition to those, 149 people from Kavre who had gone on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath and Badrinath have been stranded there due to floods and landslides. Talking to The Himalayan Times over the phone, one of the stranded pilgrims, Tikaballav Sapkota, said a team of pilgrims from Kavre’s Anaikot and Rabiopi VDCs that had left for pilgrimage some 20 days ago, were stuck in Pandeswor, 20 km from Badrinath. Sapkota said Sita Gelal, who fell ill, was airlifted to a hospital for treatment. The Indian government has rescued some people and camped them at Karnaprayag. Sapkota said the rescued people would be sent to Mahendranagar on Saturday. 

According to Sapkota, some pilgrims from Bhaktapur’s Kausaltar were looted before they reached Kedarnath temple. 

Some 120 people had left Kavre’s Budol, Chaukot and Malpi on three buses for pilgrimage to Uttarakhand, in addition to 29 people from Rabiopi and Anaikot of Kavre.

176 trapped Nepalis tracked

Kathmandu: As many as 176 stranded Nepali pilgrims have been tracked so far in Uttarakhand, where massive floods wreaked havoc early this week. 

“They are at safe locations awaiting help to get out of there,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Arjun Bahadur Thapa told mediapersons today. According to him, a group of 29 Nepalis was airlifted from Kedarnath to Haridwar by Indian government and another group of 14 Nepalis is on its way to Nepal from Deharadun. 

Embassy of Nepal in India has, meanwhile, sent two officials to Haridwar, Deharadun and Tehri in Uttarakhand to take stock of the situation and help in the rescue of scores of Nepali pilgrims stranded there. The team reached Haridwar this evening. 

The Nepali mission claimed that 48 Nepalis are already at safe locations in Haridwar and 70 pilgrims were safe in Tehri and were proceeding towards Nepal. Most of them were rescued by the Uttarakhand government.

Published on: 22 June 2013 | The Himalayan Times