Key Takeways:

• Nepali residents remain unable to travel beyond Hilsa
• About 2 to 2.5 feet of snow has accumulated in the area
• Travel is expected to resume from Oct. 4
• Snow has disrupted Kailash Mansarovar travel and local trade

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 2 As many as 41 Nepalis have been stranded at Hilsa, the northern border point in Humla, after heavy snowfall and incessant rain disrupted the Hilsa-Taklakot route. Immigration Officer Bimal Paudel said the stranded people, residents of Namkha Rural Municipality-1, 2 and 3, have been unable to proceed beyond Hilsa. Most of them had been engaged in business in Taklakot. The group reached Hilsa last Friday but was stopped at the border after snowfall began, Paudel said. The Chinese side has also halted travel for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage because of the snowfall. Immigration staff member Pema Lama, who is stationed at Hilsa, said the border is expected to reopen from Oct. 4. Road-opening work is under way on the Chinese side, but clearing the route on the Nepali side is expected to take longer. According to Armed Police Force Deputy Superintendent of Police Nanda Bahadur Saud, around 2 to 2.5 feet of snow has accumulated in Hilsa. Lama said clearing the route is expected to take additional time because travellers must cross Nara Lake to reach Hilsa. Locals and security personnel have been working to clear the snow and resume road operations. A total of 6,010 people have travelled to Kailash Mansarovar through the Hilsa border so far this year, according to Paudel. Most of the visitors are Indian nationals, followed by visitors from the UK, the US and Nepal. With the main Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage season nearing its end, the snowfall has disrupted movement at the Hilsa border as well as local trade and daily life in the border area. (With inputs from RSS)