31 Malayalis Return From Nepal After Escaping Floods

Kochi: Thirty-one members of a 38-member Malayali group who had travelled to Nepal for vacation arrived at Cochin International Airport around 2.15 am on Sunday. The group had travelled through Travel Hub 24, a travel agency in Edappally, Kochi.

The group boarded a flight from Gorakhpur on Saturday and returned via Mumbai. Of the remaining seven members, five travelled from Gorakhpur to Bengaluru by train, while two left for Keralam by train. The group had visited Kathmandu, Pokhara and Lumbini in Nepal and returned safely.

The group left Kathmandu for Pokhara by road at 10 am on Thiruvonam Day. During the journey, they saw large quantities of mud and water flowing rapidly through a river. Traffic was subsequently disrupted, and the group remained stuck in a traffic jam for more than two hours.

The vehicle was then diverted through a forest route, requiring the group to travel more than 60 kilometres. They reached Pokhara around 2 am on Thursday. It was only later that they realised they had travelled through an area affected by flooding.

Of the group members, 16 are from Kottayam district, 12 from Ernakulam, five from Kasaragod, three from Thrissur and two from Kannur. Thirty-six members had departed from Cochin International Airport on August 22.

Meanwhile, 16 Malayalis stranded in Nepal returned home on Saturday. The whereabouts of seven people, including four Keralam-origin individuals holding Australian citizenship, remain unknown.