Kailash Mansarovar Yatra: 883 pilgrims rescued from Simikot in last three days

As many as 883 Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims, who were stranded in Nepal’s Simikot due to inclement weather, have been rescued in the last three days, an Indian Embassy said in a statement on Thursday.

“In the last 3 days a total of 883 stranded pilgrims were evacuated from Simikot to Nepalgunj and Surkhet. Busses facilities were made available at Surkhet to ferry pilgrims to Nepalgunj,” the Embassy said in a statement.

Likewise, around 675 pilgrims were shifted from Hilsa to Simikot as the place has better basic facilities including medical. During this period 53 flights were operated and 142 sorties were made by choppers including army as well MI16 Helicopters, the Embassy said.

On Thursday, as many as 143 Kailash Mansarover Yatris were rescued via 10 commercial flights from Simikot to Nepalgunj.

The Embassy said that it was exploring the possibilities of hiring chartered helicopters and operating them on various evacuation routes in a bid to expedite the evacuation process.

In the wake of recent inclement weather condition along the Nepalganj-Simikot-Hilsa route of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nepal, the Indian Embassy also issued a fresh advisory for the pilgrims and tour agencies, asking them to apprise themselves with the Ministry’s standing advisory.

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“All prospective pilgrims should note that Simikot and Hilsa in Nepal are extremely infrastructure lean places lacking basic medical, comfortable boarding and lodging facilities. Thus, they should get themselves medically examined before starting the Yatra as well as carry sufficient medicine for up to one month,” the Embassy said in a statement released on Thursday.

The Embassy said that Simikot and Hilsa in Nepal were only connected to the rest of the world by air and there was no other medium to travel to these places.

Also, the dangerous terrain and route make it challenging to operate small aircraft and helicopters, therefore, there were high chances of pilgrims getting stranded in case of poor weather, the Embassy added.

The Kailash Mansarovar in Tibetan region of China is considered one of the holiest places by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. It is believed that Hindu Lord Shiva used to live at Kailash Mansarovar. Every year, hundreds of Indians undertake the ‘yatra’ which involves trekking on dangerous terrain under unwelcoming conditions.