Hyderabad: Twenty-five pilgrims and five travel operators from Hyderabad are stranded in Kathmandu after the earthquake in Nepal. Travel agency officials confirmed that all of them are safe. The relatives are worried as they could not reach them due to a complete shutdown of communications.
Telugu pilgrims who are stranded in Nepal are mostly above 50 years of age. They are from Vinayaknagar, Vasavinagar of Malkajgiri and Ramanthapur. The travel agency, Saibaba, had taken them to Nepal to visit various temples one week ago. On hearing about the earthquake, the worried family members thronged the travel agency office in Malkajgiri, and sought information. Most of the mobiles phones of pilgrims remained out of reach for a long time.
However, after a few minutes, one of the tour operators informed that all the members were unhurt and safe in an open place. “Now, all of us are safe in an open ground, close to the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu,” Gowrishankar, the tour in-charge, said over telephone.
The pilgrims, 15 women and eight male members, were standing outside a hotel located near the famous Pashupatinath temple to start their tour when the first tremors occurred. “After having breakfast, they were waiting outside the hotel, where they were staying, for their vehicle and tour operators. They have been in Kathmandu for three days, and today was the last day. So the plan was for sightseeing. As they felt the tremors, they ran to the open field,” said Mr M. Balaraju, husband of a stranded pilgrim Ms M. Sharadha. Mr Balaraju, who is at his home in RTC Colony of Ramanthapur, said that he talked to her over telephone at 1.30 pm.
“I had talked to her at 8 am, but there was no trouble then. After seeing the news on TV, I called her and could reach her after an hour,” said Mr Balraju. The tour operator Gowrishankar was inside the hotel when the quake occurred. “I was on the fourth floor, and I felt the sudden tremor. I rushed out. People were screaming and running around everywhere. We took shelter in an open ground near the temple, and all the 25 members are safe,” Gowrishankar said over telephone.
However, since all roads are heavily damaged transportation is impossible now. The pilgrims cannot return soon. The family members are worried and have sought immediate intervention of the state government to bring them back. “On Saturday night, they will have to stay back in the hotel. However, most of them are worried about going inside the building expecting more tremors,” said Mr. Balaraju.
According to relatives, the group went for a 13-day pilgrimage in Nepal and various shrines in North India including Kashi temple. They had visited several places in Nepal including Muktinath temple and Pashupatinath temple. “Their next plan was to go to Gorakhpur, and then come to India to visit Kashi Vishwanath temple,” said a relative. The group was supposed to return on Wednesday. Worried relatives have asked them to cancel the tour and come back.
