Earthquake in Nepal: Hundreds of foreigners still stranded

Kathmandu, May 2:around 1,000 Canadians are still stranded in parts of Nepal, a week after the earthquake battered the Himalayan nation. A favourite among international tourists, Kathmandu Valley with its seven-piece World Heritage ensemble, bore the maximum brunt of the 7.9-magnitude quake which reduced the iconic landscape to rubble on April 25. According to private carrier Spicejet, taking part in evacuating people from Nepal, around 1,000 Canadians, who had gone for trekking, are stuck in Nepal. “About 1,000 Canadians got stranded since they went for trekking outside Kathmandu. They are now trying to collect themselves at the Kathmnadu airport by contacting either the Canadian embassy or through the Minister of External Affairs directly. So, besides Indians, we are also getting requests to evacuate these foreign nationals,” Promoter, Spicejet, Ajay Singh told PTI. The airline said that it has been operating three relief flights daily since April 26, on an average, carrying relief material, volunteers and mostly grief-stricken family members of the quake-affected people. “Slowly, they are all converging at Kathmandu, and embassies and ministries are also coordinating in getting them back from the quake-hit country. Besides, there are also some Italian citizens who are stranded there,” Singh said. He said the carrier intends to carry on this routine for at least another one week by which they expect that some semblance of stability would be reached in the