KATHMANDU: The Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN), the umbrella body of mountain tourism entrepreneurs, has said that pilgrims headed to Kailash Mansarovar have been left stranded after a flood washed away the Nepal-China Friendship Bridge in Rasuwa on July 8.
Issuing a press statement on Friday, TAAN General Secretary Sonam Gyalsen Sherpa stated that the sudden flood in the Lhende Khola on Tuesday morning swept away the bridge at Rasuwagadhi, halting road access to Tibet’s autonomous region from Nepal.
As a result, both Nepali and foreign pilgrims and tourists planning to travel to Kailash Mansarovar via Rasuwagadhi have been unable to cross into Tibet. TAAN has urged the Nepal government to take immediate diplomatic steps with the Chinese government to facilitate alternative routes for the pilgrimage via border points such as Tatopani, Korala, and Hilsa.
TAAN President Sagar Pandey also called on the authorities to ensure that pilgrims can obtain travel documents more easily during the peak season of Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.
He urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage in diplomatic dialogue with the Chinese Embassy in Nepal to simplify and expedite the visa process and help facilitate the journey for pilgrims currently stranded in Kathmandu.
TAAN has expressed condolences to those who lost their lives in the flood and called on the government to expedite search and rescue efforts for the missing.
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