BENGALURU: More than 100 people from Karnataka are stranded after the massive earthquake which hit Nepal on Saturday.
About 85 persons from Karnataka, who were travelling in Nepal at the time of the earthquake, are safe and are expected to reach Varanasi through the land route by Sunday evening, according to a release from the State government.
The government has deputed IAS officer Pankaj Kumar Pande and IPS officer Umesh Kumar to travel to Nepal to ensure the safe passage of people from the State.
300 calls to control room
The Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority has received more than 300 calls to their control room. Many may have been enquiring about the same person. None reported dead so far, according to the authority.
85 people from Bengaluru who had gone to Nepal through a travel agency have been reported safe. Efforts are on to trace 35 people who had gone from Pandavpura.
The State government has set up a helpline to deal with the emergency. Call 1070 (toll-free), 22340676, 22353980, or 22032582.
Tourists from Dakshina Kannada safe
Nine tourists from Dakshina Kannada, who had been to Pokhra in Nepal, are safe and on their way back to Nagarkot.
Vathika Pai from Nirmala Travels said nine persons from different parts of the district had left Mangaluru a few days ago to Pokhra, which is about 80 km from the epicentre of the massive earthquake in Nepal on Saturday. Ms. Pai said the nine tourists were to leave Pokhra on Saturday morning and reach Nagarkot by road.
“We tried calling the tourists in the morning but could not reach them. In the afternoon, we received a call from the guide accompanying tourists informing about their safety.” Ms. Pai said there were another group of 30 tourists to Pokhra, who have safely landed in New Delhi today. “These nine tourists will be reaching New Delhi in another two days and then reach here (Mangaluru),” she said.
Group of 35 from Belagavi safe
As many as 35 persons from Belagavi district, who were on a company-sponsored tour to Nepal, are stated to be safe, bringing much relief to their family members here. The tour was organised by Shri Ganesh Agro Inputs in Fulbag Galli in Belagavi city.
The police headquarters and various police stations were trying to trace the members of the group, as their family members started inquiring about their safety after a massive earthquake rocked parts of Nepal on Saturday.
Chikkodi Deputy Superintendent of Police S.R. Patil and Police Sub Inspector Sangamesh Bidiginal told The Hindu that a group of 35 persons, all of whom are dealers or retailers of agro-products, had gone on tour to Nepal. The group included five persons from Chikkodi, one of whom called the Chikkodi police and confirmed that the entire 35- member group was safe and were nowhere near the areas affected by the earthquake, as they were returning and on the way to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
When contacted, staff at the agency confirmed that a group of 35 dealers/retailers had been sent on tour to Nepal. A company supplying them Humisolve, a soil-activator chemical compound, had sponsored the tour in recognition of their impressive sales performance.
Similarly, groups of 35 persons each from a few other districts in Karnataka were also sponsored for the Nepal tour.
35 people from Tumakuru have been stranded at Manokamna in Nepal
after an earthquake struck Nepal on Saturday.
Tumakuru taluk
Veerabhadreshwara Package Tours of Kalenahalli in Tumakuru taluk in the district had taken 35 people to Kashi, Gaya, Gorakhpur, Kathmandu on April 16th.
The tour program was organised by Renuka Prasad of Kalenahalli from April 16 to April 30.
The daughter of Renuka Prasad, Chethana told The Hindu, “my father spoke to me around 3.40 p.m. on Saturday and said that they are safe at Manokamna which is at a distance of around 200km from Kathmandu.”
She said they have food and water and are in a safe place.She said they had left Kathmandu early morning on Saturday and have reached Manokamna.
Davangere woman missing
A woman from DCM township in Davangere city Susheela, who was on Nepal tour along with her relatives, has been missing since Saturday afternoon. Susheela, who works with LIC in Davangere, was on a package tour of Katmandu.
According to her family members, she spoke to them around 11 a.m. after her visit to Mukthinath. Since afternoon, her mobile has been switched off.
Control room
The control room reports the following number of people are in Nepal:
85 from Bengaluru, reported safe.
Status of 35 people from Pandavpura unknown.
40 people from Kustagi are safe in camp set up by Telangana.
Niramala Travels has a group on Muktinath, their status is unknown.
