India tour operator reports on Nepal quake

India’s most-awarded tour operator, Creative Travel, reached out to let us know what the situation is like in Nepal due to the massive earthquake from their perspective as a neighboring country.

India’s most-awarded tour operator, Creative Travel, reached out to let us know what the situation is like in Nepal due to the massive earthquake from their perspective as a neighboring country. At the time the letter was written, on Saturday, April 25, the number of victims known was in the hundreds. Today, just one day later, it is sadly already over 2,000. The people affected there have no shelter, no medical aid, and no equipment.

Dear Friends:

At 11:56 am local Nepal time on Saturday April 25, a massive earthquake hit the peaceful mountain country of Nepal.

With a magnitude of 7.9, the quake has devastated Kathmandu valley and its surrounding regions. The quake is the strongest to hit the Nepal in 81 years. There have been numerous aftershocks as well of severe intensity. The effects of the earthquake have been felt all over North India and Pakistan as well. Damage however in India is limited.

The death toll from this powerful earthquake has crossed 700 and scores more injured. Reports also say of eight people were killed and several injured at the base camp of Mount Everest. Hundreds of climbers were at the base camp to prepare for their ascent next month. Hospitals and other medical facilities are working overtime to treat those in need. The Indian government has also rushed in manpower and equipment to support the local efforts.

The quake also briefly disrupted operations at Kathmandu’s international airport and several flights were diverted to Indian cities. Some flights from India to Nepal were cancelled

Many houses were damaged in Kathmandu and its sister towns Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. Many historical sites and old buildings were damaged as well. There were reports of damage from many other parts of the country though details were sketchy. The problem in a poor county like Nepal is that often many houses & structures are improperly & poorly built and not earthquake ready. So disasters such as this bring down these structures much faster than desired.

Fortunately it was a Saturday and most offices and educational institutions were close, so the human damage was less than it could have been.

At this stage we at Creative Travel have no guests in harm’s way. Trips scheduled to Nepal have been rerouted immediately and our operations teams are in touch with our clients across the world.

More importantly, our family in our Nepal office seems all out of harm’s way. Damage has been there to homes and we hope that is not to severe. Details are awaited.

We have always in the past expressed our total commitment to guest safety. That will never change. At this stage the situation in Nepal on the ground has still to be assessed in more detail. Everyone is dealing with a scenario never experienced in a generation. Having said that, at this stage there is no reason to panic. We are obviously diverting guests from Nepal for the next week or so till normalcy returns to the region. As a company, all our guests are accounted for and out of harm’s way.

Nepal is a country close to our hearts. Our two countries are deeply intertwined by customs, language and history. We grieve to see our brothers & sisters in the North to have gone through this and we in India stand by them in full support in this time of need. We as a company will be evaluating how we can help and will be reaching out to our partners and friends across the world with suggestions if anyone would like to add to the support.

To reiterate, the situation on the ground is currently stable but chaotic. At this time all our guests are safe and out of harm’s way.

If you have any questions or need more information, please do not hesitate to call us. If you have any questions, you may call our Duty Manager @ the 24-hour emergency hotline +91- 99 11 266 277.

As always, we at Creative Travel put client safety first. Please be assured that we would not do anything to compromise that. More will follow if the situation changes.

Regards.

Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director
Mobile # +91-98 100 47777
[email protected]

Rohit Kohli, Joint Managing Director
Mobile # +91-98 100 23777
[email protected]

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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