Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Nearly 168 people from southern states, including pilgrims and tourists, are stranded, missing or being traced in Nepal after a sudden flood caused by a glacier-related incident severely affected Rasuwa district and surrounding lower-lying areas. Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said nearly 300 Indians were among hundreds of people missing.
Tamil Nadu has reported 103 people who travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Yatra, while Kerala has identified around 53 people who are estimated to be stranded. Karnataka has reported five people from Bengaluru missing, and Andhra Pradesh has identified seven residents as missing or stranded, with four traced safe but still stranded and three missing. Telangana authorities have received around 70-80 calls concerning relatives stranded in Nepal.
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TAMIL NADU
Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Raj Mohan said 103 Tamils had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Yatra through more than one group.
Super Yatra Kumbakonam, a travel company from Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district, organised one trip in collaboration with Samrat Tours in Nepal. The group had 54 Tamils from 10 districts — 11 from Cuddalore, five from Krishnagiri, 16 from Thanjavur, one from Dharmapuri, four from Tiruchirappalli, one from Tiruvannamalai, two from Tiruvarur, one from Namakkal, seven from Mayiladuthurai and six from Chennai — along with three people from Puducherry, taking the total group size to 57.
They were travelling in three vehicles when the sudden flooding of the river in Rasuwa district left the vehicles stranded.
Another company, Mahadev Kailash Yatra from Chennai, took 49 Tamils to Nepal for the same pilgrimage. Authorities are trying to obtain complete information about their whereabouts and safety.
KERALA
NORKA-Roots said around 53 Keralites, including family members, adults and children, were estimated to be stranded in Nepal following the floods.
NORKA stands for Non-Resident Keralites Affairs, a dedicated department of the Government of Kerala formed on December 6, 1996, to address the needs and grievances of Keralites living outside India or in other Indian states.
NORKA Roots CEO Rajesh Madhavan said 17 sets of information regarding stranded Keralites had been received through the Chief Minister’s Office and the Chief Secretary’s Office and collated by around 3 am on Thursday.
Officials are trying to identify their last known locations and have shared available details with the concerned authorities to help pinpoint their whereabouts.
KARNATAKA
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said five people from Bengaluru who had travelled to Nepal were missing and efforts were underway to contact them.
He said a senior government officer and, if necessary, a minister would be deputed to Kathmandu to oversee relief and rescue operations for those stranded there.
ANDHRA PRADESH
Andhra Pradesh authorities have identified seven residents as missing or stranded in Nepal. Four have been traced safe but remain stranded, while efforts are underway to locate three missing people.
Minister Nara Lokesh is personally leading and coordinating rescue efforts to ensure the safe return of all Andhra Pradesh residents stranded or missing in flood-affected areas.
The three missing people are Bala Subramanyam from Kuppam; Sasi Kumar, who was travelling with Isha Foundation Group S3 and was last seen at the Gyrong Embassy in China; and Rajyalakshmi Nimmagadda, also a member of Isha Foundation Group S3.
TELANGANA
Telangana authorities have received around 70-80 calls from people enquiring about or informing officials that their relatives are stranded in Nepal.
Authorities are sharing the details received through these calls with the Ministry of External Affairs. The Indian Embassy in Nepal is coordinating efforts to trace the stranded individuals and ascertain their safety and whereabouts.
Officials are continuing to collect information from families and are working with the MEA and the Indian Embassy to facilitate the tracing and assistance of those stranded.
– Ends
With agency inputs.
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
