Amaravati, Sep 11 : The evacuation of stranded Telugu people from violence-hit Nepal gathered momentum on Thursday with a special flight carrying 12 people taking off from Simikot, while another group of 22 people safely returned by road.

Minister for Real Time Governance Nara Lokesh, who is supervising the evacuation efforts, said an IndiGo flight is planned from Kathmandu to New Delhi to airlift over 200 people. The minister posted on 'X' that 133 people have already been escorted to the airport under convoy protection.

A charter plane will take off from Pokhara to bring another group of 10 stranded Telugu people to Kathmandu for boarding the IndiGo flight.

A group of 22 people who travelled via a special bus from Hetauda safely entered the Indian territory. The group has reached Bihar and will travel to Delhi.

A special flight, carrying 12 people from Simikot to Nepalganj on the Indian border, took off at 9 a.m. TDP MP Sana Satish coordinated with local authorities for the evacuation operation. From Nepalganj, vehicles are in place to transport the group to Lucknow, from where they will fly to Hyderabad.

Officials said 133 stranded individuals have reached Kathmandu Airport, while another 43 are expected shortly.

An IndiGo charter flight arranged by the Andhra Pradesh government will take off from Delhi for Kathmandu to bring back the stranded people.

The state government, in close coordination with the Union Government, the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, and Nepalese authorities, initiated the evacuation of stranded citizens.

According to an official statement, a comprehensive plan has been prepared with support from the Indian government and local authorities in Nepal.

A total of 217 citizens from Andhra Pradesh have been traced across Nepal. Of these, 173 are in Kathmandu, 22 in Hetauda, 10 in Pokhara, and 12 in Simikot near the Nepal'China border.

Out of the stranded citizens, 118 (55 per cent) are women and 98 (45 per cent) are men. Nearly 70 per cent are above 50 years of age, with 31 per cent above 60 years. The largest groups are from Visakhapatnam (42), Vizianagaram (34), and Kurnool (22), with others spread across 22 districts.

Citizens in Kathmandu are staying in hotels at varying distances (1 km to 4.5 km) from the international airport.

/IANS