Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 12 (ANI): The family of a man from Tiruchirappalli district, who went missing after a flash flood swept away eight people at a waterfall in Malaysia, has sought the Tamil Nadu government's urgent intervention to trace him and coordinate with Malaysian authorities for information about his whereabouts.
Durai Murugan, a resident of Karuppur village near Manapparai in Tiruchirappalli district, had been working at a private company in Malaysia for the past two-and-a-half years. He had reportedly gone on a trip to a waterfall with 17 friends during the Diwali holidays when the incident occurred.
According to the family, a sudden flash flood struck while the group was bathing at the waterfall, sweeping away eight people. Five bodies have reportedly been recovered, while three people, including Durai Murugan, remain missing. The family said it has not received any confirmed information about whether the missing persons are alive or dead.
Speaking to ANI, Durai Murugan's wife said she last spoke to him over the phone at around 6.30 am on November 9, when he wished her for Diwali and informed her that he was going out with his friends.
With no confirmed information about his whereabouts, his wife approached the Tiruchirappalli District Collector and submitted a petition seeking immediate government intervention.
Kaviyakkannan, a relative of the missing man, said that the family had appealed to the District Collector to take up the matter with the authorities in Chennai and the Indian diplomatic mission in Malaysia.
"We have approached the District Collector seeking urgent intervention in the case of Durai Murugan, a resident of Karuppur Panchayat in Manapparai Union, who went to Malaysia two and a half years ago and was working in a private company," he told reporters.
"During the Diwali holidays, he went on a trip with 17 of his friends to a waterfall in Malaysia. While they were bathing in the waterfall, there was a sudden flash flood, and eight people went missing. Of the eight, five bodies have been recovered, while the whereabouts of the remaining three, including Durai Murugan, are still unknown. We have not received any confirmed information on whether they are alive or dead," he added.
He stated, "We approached the District Collector and submitted a petition seeking immediate action. The Collector has assured us that the matter will be taken up with the authorities in Chennai and the Indian diplomatic mission in Malaysia."
"We request the Tamil Nadu government to intervene urgently, coordinate with the Malaysian authorities and ascertain whether Durai Murugan is alive or missing. We appeal to the government to take all necessary steps to trace him," he said.
The family has urged the Tamil Nadu government to coordinate with the Indian diplomatic mission in Malaysia and the Malaysian authorities to establish the whereabouts of Durai Murugan and the other missing persons.
They have appealed for immediate assistance and all necessary efforts to trace him and bring him back safely.
Further investigation and search operations are still underway. (ANI)
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