London: A group of 176 Nepalese stranded at São Paulo International Airport in Brazil have been reported safe.

According to the Nepali Embassy in Brazil, around 700 foreigners, including Nepalese trying to transit to a third country, are stranded in the transit area of São Paulo Airport. The embassy issued a statement on Tuesday, confirming that all Nepalese citizens are safe and that preparations are being made to provide them with humanitarian assistance as needed.

The statement mentioned that there has been a growing trend of people traveling to South American countries with the intent of illegally entering the United States through countries like Brazil and others.

The embassy also highlighted that Nepalese youths have occasionally been found to be lured and incited by organized human traffickers to travel to such regions. Many have ended up in situations where they face unimaginable suffering and have to spend large sums of money.

The embassy’s statement further noted that the Brazilian government has introduced a rule, effective immediately, requiring passport holders from countries like Nepal to have a visa for entry into Brazil. From now on, individuals will only be allowed to proceed to their destination country via Brazil if they have a direct flight booked, otherwise, they will be sent back on the same flight without being granted refugee status at the airport.

The embassy urged everyone to ensure they have the proper documents and visas before embarking on any journey through Brazil or other countries, warning that such journeys facilitated by human traffickers are illegal, risky, and uncertain.

Previously, the Non-Resident Nepali Association in Chile and Nepali Ambassador to Brazil, Nirmal Raj Kafle, had initiated coordination with the Nepalese government to rescue those stranded.