India, July 9 -- A group of 23 Indian pilgrims-15 from Mumbai and the rest from Dubai-returning from an eight-day, private tour of Kailash Mansarovar are stranded in Gyirong county, Tibet, after a key bridge connecting the autonomous region with Nepal collapsed early Tuesday due to a landslide triggered by floods.

Some of the stranded pilgrims HT spoke to said the collapsed Miteri Bridge was effectively their only route back to Kathmandu, as flight operators were charging over Rs.3.6 lakh per person for taking an alternative route via Lhasa, as opposed to the standard rate of Rs.40,000.

People familiar with the developments said the Indian embassy in Nepal has taken up the matter with Nepalese authorities to facilitate the speedy return...