Estonian group escapes to Kathmandu after 5-day wait
A group of five Estonians have arrived at Kathmandu, the capital of earthquake-hit Nepal, after waiting to be rescued for five days.
The group was in the Langtang valley, not far from the capital, but had to wait five days before being taken by helicopter to a rescue camp.
Ragnar Plees, one of the group members, said they decided quickly they did not want to stay in the emergency camp. “As the roads are impassible, we had to take a path of up to 25 kilometers on foot to find any form of transport. We stocked up with water and headed out,” he said.
The group arrived at a road after 15 kilometers and managed to find a driver willing to take the 4-hour drive to Kathmandu.
“Probably at some point we will get a place on an aircraft and fly home. The danger and adventure is now over,” Plees said.
Nepal was hit with a 7.8 magnitude earthquake last weekend. Around 30 Estonian citizens were in the country at the time and one is among the over 5,000 killed in the natural disaster.
Estonia had gathered a rescue team to send to Nepal with the Finnish team, but the flight was canceled as it did not receive landing permission in Kathmandu.
Editor: J.M. Laats