Azerbaijanis caught in Nepal during massive flooding: «We were very lucky» - VIDEO

Search and rescue operations are continuing in Nepal after massive flooding on the border with Tibet.

The natural disaster has caused numerous casualties, destroyed roads and bridges, and led to serious disruptions in transportation. According to Nepalese authorities, the bodies of 165 victims have been found, and another 826 people are listed as missing. More than 529 of the missing are tourists. It was reported earlier that among them are 466 foreign nationals from 28 countries.

In neighboring Tibet, according to Chinese state media, at least three people have died and more than 558 people are listed as missing, including at least 260 foreigners. They were in the Gyirong area, one of the main border crossings between China and Nepal.

Amid the natural disaster, citizens of Azerbaijan are also in Nepal. As Farhad Ashirbeyli told 1news.az, he is traveling together with two citizens of Azerbaijan — Davud Degtyarev and Teymur Akhundov — and Russian citizen Alexey Mayorov, who holds a residence permit in Azerbaijan.

According to Ashirbeyli, the group arrived in Kathmandu at the beginning of the week, after which it headed toward the city of Bandipur. Because of a delay in setting out, the travelers managed to avoid the most dangerous stretch of road.

«We planned to leave early in the morning, but decided to stay a little longer and have breakfast. As a result, we left about two hours later. When we continued on our way, a mudflow had already begun and the road turned out to be blocked. If we had left on time, we would probably have been cut off from the outside world. The police turned us back at a point a little more than one hundred kilometers from the capital,» he said.

After that, the group continued along country roads and stopped in a safe area north of Kathmandu.

«We were really very lucky. We did not end up in the disaster zone itself precisely because we were delayed in leaving. Right now we are in a safe area, at a high elevation, far from the flow. About 50 kilometers separate us from the disaster zone,» Ashirbeyli noted.

The main problem for the travelers remains the condition of the roads. Because of washed-out sections, destroyed bridges, and severe traffic jams, even relatively short distances take several hours to cover.

«The roads are in very poor condition. A huge number of bridges and stretches of road have been washed out, and big traffic jams have formed. The terrain here is mountainous, with passes, so covering 30–40 kilometers to Kathmandu can now take half a day,» he said.

The situation is further complicated by the continuing downpours. According to Ashirbeyli, on Thursday night there was heavy rain in the area where the group is located, and there were power outages.

At the same time, the Azerbaijani citizens maintain constant contact with diplomatic representatives. Since Azerbaijan does not have an embassy in Nepal, the Azerbaijani Embassy in India is responsible for the situation in the country.

«The embassy contacted us immediately, clarified our location, and offered assistance. We reported that we are in a safe place. Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also inquired about our situation and the possibility of evacuation,» Ashirbeyli said.

According to him, the travelers also tried to find out whether other citizens of Azerbaijan are in the affected area.

«As far as we know, we are probably among the few Azerbaijanis in this part of Nepal. I asked about this at the embassy, but they also do not have information about other citizens. If there are any, we would like to get in touch with them and, perhaps, provide mutual assistance,» he noted.

The group is now waiting for the road situation to improve, after which it plans to continue on to Kathmandu. From there, the travelers intend to return to Baku.

«The most important thing for us now is to safely reach the capital, to be closer to the airport, and to return to Baku. We hope that within the next day or two we will be able to get to Kathmandu,» Farhad Ashirbeyli said.

1news.az will continue to follow the development of the situation in Nepal and the condition of the Azerbaijani citizens there.