Key Takeaways:

• 670 Nepalis returned since Sept 3 via Tatopani after being stranded in Kerung due to the Aug 26 Bhotekoshi flood
• Chinese authorities handed over citizens at Liping border, coordinating with Nepali officials and providing passport details
• APF team led by DIG Bhupa Bahadur Budhathoki deployed to facilitate rescue and safe transport to Kathmandu
• Authorities say around 1,700 Nepalis remain stranded in Kerung, with repatriation ongoing through Tatopani

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 10 Hundreds of Nepalis stranded in China after the Bhotekoshi flood cut off the usual route from Kerung have been brought home through the Tatopani border in Sindhupalchok. According to the Armed Police Force (APF), a total of 670 Nepali citizens have returned alive since September 3. They had travelled to Kerung for business, tourism and other purposes but were stranded after the August 26 flood blocked the Kerung route. With the surface route closed, the Chinese side has been bringing stranded Nepalis to Liping, on the Chinese side of the Tatopani border, and handing them over to Nepali authorities along with their passport details. The APF said 114 people returned on September 3, 155 on September 4, 96 on September 5, 105 on September 6, 106 on September 7 and 94 on September 8. A 15-member APF team led by Deputy Inspector General Bhupa Bahadur Budhathoki has been deployed from the Tatopani Border Outpost to facilitate the rescue and safe movement of citizens. APF spokesperson Netra Bahadur Karki said coordination was continuing to bring Nepalis stranded in China safely back home, with vehicles arranged in coordination with local governments and organisations to transport returnees to Kathmandu. The Sindhupalchok Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Araniko Transport Pvt Ltd have also arranged passenger vehicles for the returnees. Sindhupalchok Chief District Officer Shashidhar Ghimire said Chinese authorities had informed Nepali officials that around 1,700 Nepalis remain stranded in Kerung. 'They will be safely brought to Kathmandu via the Tatopani border. The process of bringing them is ongoing,' he said. Tatopani Immigration Office head Padma Raj Timalsina confirmed that Chinese authorities were handing over Nepali citizens with passport details before transfer. Although Tatopani customs remains closed, the border is currently open for tourist movement, allowing the repatriation process to continue.