KATHMANDU, AUGUST 21

Thirty-six more Nepalis, who were stranded in Afghanistan, have been rescued and brought back home today. Similarly, some others rescued are scheduled to land in Kathmandu tonight.

So far, 558 abandoned Nepalis have been rescued and safely repatriated home after Afghanistan recently came under Taliban control.

Around 317 more Nepalis have registered themselves for rescue, said the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The rescued Nepalis boarded regular and chartered flights to arrive in Nepal.

Arrangements have been made for the rescued Nepalis to reach home after their COVID-19 tests and other health check-ups at a holding centre in Kathmandu in coordination with the ministry.

There are two holding centres - at Samakhusi and Ichangunarayan - set up by the Nepali Army for rescued Nepalis.

The government, under the coordination of the joint-secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has formed a taskforce to rescue stranded Nepalis from Afghanistan.

Members of the taskforce are Chief of the Central Asia, West Asia and Africa Division and first class gazetted officers from the ministries of finance, home affairs, labour and employment, culture, tourism and civil aviation and ministry of health, Nepal Police, the COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre and the Department of Consular Services.

The rescue operation is being carried out on the basis of registration of stranded Nepalis on the web portal and their details given by the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi and the situation centre.

Similarly, one can contact mobile numbers 9749326458 and 9749326459 through Viber and WhatsApp for rescue.

Friendly nations have helped in the rescue of stranded Nepalis by sending their flights to Kabul.

The government has formally written to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, the European Union, Japan and the United Nations to help rescue stranded Nepalis from Afghanistan and bring them back home at the earliest.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 22 2021, of The Himalayan Times.