Colleagues chip in for Nepali’s ticket home

Loginder Vagal is flying back to his village in Nepal to try and find his family after Saturday's devastating earthquake.

Nepali Lochinder Vagal before his flight home at Sharjah airport. Pawan Singh / The National

ABU DHABI // Lochinder Vagal has spoken to his wife back home in Nepal for only two seconds since the disaster – just long enough for her to tell him they had lost everything.

Now, the 26-year-old is flying back to Kathmandu full of trepidation about what awaits him.

“I called my wife the moment I heard the news,” he said. “The line was extremely bad.

“I just spoke to her for two seconds in which she said they lost everything.

“Then the line got disconnected. Since then I have not been able to contact them.”

To add to his worry, Mr Vagal has since heard from other residents in his village in Rasuwa, 90km from the capital, that his house had been destroyed and they had not seen his family.

Rasuwa is one of the worst affected districts and one of the smallest, with an area of 1,544 square kilometres, and a population of about 43,300.

“I am so worried, I don’t know what should I do,” Mr Vagal said. “I just want to go there and search for them. I pray to God they are fine and alive.”

For the past 10 months, Mr Vagal has worked as a plumber for Flag Holdings, a property management company in Abu Dhabi.

He is the sole breadwinner for his family – supporting not only his wife and two young children, but also his parents, three brothers and two sisters.

“A few minutes of earthquake has devastated my whole family and house and savings. I have to first find my family, then rebuild the house. I don’t know how I will do it. Everything is now upside down,” he said at Sharjah International Airport yesterday before his flight.

His colleagues have helped to fund his trip back, pitching in for his flight ticket and Dh2,000 cash.

“The moment we heard about Lochinder’s family we arranged his travel,” said Meilee Marts, a Flag Holdings spokeswoman.

“Our co-workers have also contributed some money to help him at this time of crises. We realised it is the toughest time for our Nepali workers and we are doing our best to help them,” she said.

“We have asked them to return when they feel satisfied with the situation at home.”

The company employs six Nepalese workers.

As UAE airlines schedule extra flights to Nepal in the wake of the disaster, many residents who do not have the support of their companies and colleagues will have to pay their own way. Economy-class air tickets to Kathmandu vary between Dh825 and Dh2,200.

According to Omeir Travel Agency in Abu Dhabi, flights to the Nepali capital, on Tuesday and Wednesday, will be between Dh825 to Dh1,800.

“Jet Airways is charging Dh1,200 from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu, Oman airways Dh825, Etihad Airways Dh1,880 and Air India is charging Dh805 for the return flight,” a spokesman for the travel agency said. Budget carrier FlyDubai said that its tickets would range from Dh1,300 to Dh2,200 during the next five days.

Emirates does not fly to Kathmandu.