Nearly 1,000 Maharashtra tourists stranded in Nepal

An estimated 800-1,000 tourists and mountaineers from different parts of Maharashtra are reported stranded in earthquake-hit Nepal, but all are safe, a top government official said here on Sunday.

Additional Resident Commissioner Samir Sahai of Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi is coordinating the relief efforts on behalf of the state government. He said that nearly 200 stranded people have got in touch with the Control Room.

"In turn, they informed us that they have established contact with all persons known to them, or their families, groups or tourist charters. Though we cannot provide the exact figures, roughly 800-1,000 people from Maharashtra could be present there and all are safe," Sahai told IANS.

"Flights from Nepal carrying Indians have started arriving and the ministry of external affairs plans to airlift around 2,000 today (Sunday). The number of people from Maharashtra will be known later," Sahai added.

A Mumbai team of 15 mountaineers, who had gone for an expedition to Mt. Annapurna, the 10th highest peak in the world standing at 26,545 feet, are reported to be safe and have reached Kathmandu.

"They are all senior sales tax officers, including three joint commissioners and 12 deputy commissioners. We are grateful to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for helping them in this crisis," a group official said.

According to Maharashtra Control Room in Mumbai, around 70 tourists from Mumbai, 74 from Nashik, 25 from Pune, and four from Satara have got in touch with authorities here.

District-wise disaster management cells have also started functioning and are attempting to help out the quake-hit who may be stranded in Nepal.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said his team in Nepal is coordinating with the authorities there for providing medical help, relief material and other assistance to the victims, while its centres have been converted into rescue shelters.

Republican Party of India spokesperson Mayur Borkar said here that the party would send a truckload of food, water and clothes for the victims, and urged Mumbaikars to donate whatever they can.