Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 29 (ANI): A group of 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who were stranded by severe floods in Nepal arrived in Chennai, where state ministers Narayanasamy Anand and D Sarathkumar personally received them upon their safe arrival.
Tamil Nadu Minister Anand said the state government is making all the arrangements to rescue missing pilgrims.
"4 of our ministers are in Delhi and are coordinating," he said.
Recounting the series of events, a survivor also highlighted the steps taken by the Nepal police and army.
"Suddenly we saw a heavy rush of flood and muddy water. We thought the dam was opened; a lorry and bus were being dragged away. We thought we would be the target. Through the driver's seat, we came out, and after that we climbed 10 feet up; then local police took us to a spot and then a Nepal Army helicopter took us to nearby Kathmandu," he said.
Tamil Nadu Minister KA Sengottaiyan highlighted the administration's continuous oversight and proactive approach toward citizen safety amid the Nepal flood situation.
"Chief Minister Vijay is closely monitoring the situation arising from the disaster in Nepal and he has been collecting information on developments in Nepal every minute. Four ministers had been sent to Delhi to coordinate with the Union government and find out what steps were being taken to facilitate the return of Tamil people from Nepal. The Chief Minister was taking steps to protect the people and ensure that similar incidents did not occur in the future," he said.
On Thursday, the Tamil Nadu government said that it was closely monitoring the rescue of pilgrims from the State stranded in Nepal due to the flash floods and is also ascertaining the whereabouts of the group of 49 people who had left for the Himalayan country from Chennai.
A total of 103 people from Tamil Nadu had gone on a tour to Nepal and got stranded there due to the flash flooding of the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district of the country.
Chief Minister Vijay chaired a consultation meeting at the Secretariat in Chennai regarding the rescue of those from the State stranded in Nepal, the Tamil Nadu Department of Information and Public Relations said in a statement.
The State government said it was closely monitoring rescue efforts and is also ascertaining the whereabouts of 49 others who left from Chennai.
As per an official update, a total of 300 Indian nationals, impacted by the floods in Nepal at 7 pm on August 27, were not contactable.
Those rescued included 33 workers of the Trishuli-I project and 21 people from Tamil Nadu.
21 Indian nationals from Tamil Nadu have been rescued in Nepal, Jaiswal said.
Tamil Nadu government also said that 103 people from the state had gone for the Kailash Yatra in two groups.
"The first group consisted of 54 persons from Tamil Nadu and 3 persons from Puducherry, totalling 57 persons, and the second group consisted of 49 persons."
Emergency telephone numbers have been set up for the kin of the missing the State government said.
Further, it said, swift measures are being taken to rescue the stranded Tamils with the help of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Embassy in Nepal, the officials of Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi and travel agencies.
Families of those missing have made emotional appeals to authorities for help in tracing their loved ones.
According to the family of Sathya Narayanan, the owner of Mahadev Tours who led the pilgrimage group, the team left Chennai on August 14 and reached Kathmandu. The group had reached the Chinese immigration building on August 26 at around 7:30 am.
Sathya Narayanan later contacted the Nepal-based travel agent at around 8:45 am regarding further arrangements. The group was scheduled to return to Chennai on August 27.
However, a flash flood struck the region around 9 am on August 26, after which communication with the group was completely disrupted.
Meanwhile, as joint rescue and relief operations intensify following devastating flash floods along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river corridors in Nepal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that 84 Indian nationals have been successfully rescued from the affected areas.
According to MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, the rescued individuals include 21 citizens from Tamil Nadu who returned to India on Friday, alongside 63 workers deployed at the Trishuli-I hydropower project.
Additionally, 149 Indian nationals crossed over safely into Nepal from China, while approximately 400 remain safe on the Chinese side as embassy officials coordinate their evacuation. Around 320 Indian nationals remain uncontactable due to widespread telecommunication outages.
The flash floods in the Bhotekoshi River area of Rasuwa have left widespread destruction, with hundreds of people dead or missing and key roads and communication links disrupted.
As Nepal's rescue and relief operations continue, India's latest assistance combines emergency supplies with specialised medical and rescue capabilities aimed at supporting Kathmandu's response to the disaster. (ANI)
21 Tamil Nadu pilgrims rescued from Nepal floods arrive in Chennai
