Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday said 23 pilgrims and tourists from the State, who were stranded in Nepal in the wake of violence, have been rescued and brought back to India through a special initiative. A statement by the Directorate of Odisha Family under the department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture, said: “23 Odia pilgrims have been rescued from Nepal and brought back to India”.

“Within five hours of the incident coming to light, the Directorate of Odisha Family contacted the office of the Chief Resident Commissioner of Odisha in New Delhi. The office, in turn, reached out to the Embassy of India in Kathmandu and the Ambassador of India through the Ministry of External Affairs,” the statement added. Odia Language, Literature and Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, in a post on X, said: “Due to the political instability in Nepal, 23 Odias who were stranded there have been brought back to India.