KATHMANDU: Over 13,000 Nepali migrant workers have returned home in chartered flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since the commercial flights were postponed due to COVID-19 and lockdown.

A total of 13,785 Nepalis stranded in the one of the major labor destinations for the Nepalis migrant workers-UAE-were evacuated to Nepal through 82 chartered flights on a priority basis since June 1 to August 11 this year, said the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi in a press statement released.

According to the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi, altogether 110 Nepalis died in the last five months due to various reasons.

Among them, final rites were performed for the 69 dead bodies in the UAE itself while a total of 26 dead bodies were flown to Nepal in those chartered flights.

The detail reports of 11 dead bodies were awaited and preparation was afoot to send home four dead bodies, stated the Nepali Embassy.

The Nepali diplomatic mission in the UAE had called for online registration for those Nepalis left at lurch due to COVID-19 impact and willing to return Nepal since the beginning of May. So far over 42,000 Nepalis have registered their names for evacuation.

More than 50,000 Nepalis stranded in various countries have returned home since the government began evacuation flights including 13,785 from the UAE, according to the COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC).

Meanwhile, 283 Nepalis stranded in South Korea and Malaysia were flown home today in the chartered flight. Among them 283 were retrieved from South Korea and rest from Malaysia. RSS