As many as 114 of the 147 Nepali citizens stranded in China following the devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi river in Rasuwa district on August 26 returned to Nepal through the Tatopani border crossing on Thursday.

Padamraj Timilsina, chief of the Tatopani Immigration Office, said Chinese authorities had brought the Nepali citizens who were safe in China to the Liping area of the Tatopani crossing and handed them over to Nepali officials, along with details including their passport numbers.

“Chinese representatives handed over 114 Nepali citizens from various districts to us in the Liping area today. They sent them to Nepal with details including their passport numbers,” Timilsina said.

Three buses were arranged to take the returnees to Kathmandu and, from there, to their respective home districts, with coordination from Kumar Shrestha, ward chairman of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2.

Shashidhar Ghimire, chief district officer of Sindhupalchok, said authorities had initially received a list of 114 Nepali citizens from the Chinese side. China later informed Nepali officials that a total of 147 Nepalis would return through the Tatopani crossing.

“More citizens will be arriving. The Chinese side has informed us that those returning are from Sindhupalchok, Nuwakot and, mostly, Rasuwa districts,” Ghimire said.

The movement of tourists through the Tatopani crossing remains open, Timilsina said, but trade and customs operations remain suspended.

The Nepalis stranded in China travelled by road from the Kerung area to Tatopani after the floods. The Armed Police Force’s Border Outpost in Tatopani and the immigration office coordinated their entry and arrangements after the Nepalis arrived.