Nepal floods: CM Vijay deputes 4 ministers to trace missing pilgrims
The Tamil Nadu government has intensified efforts to locate 83 people from the state and three from Puducherry who remain unaccounted for after devastating floods in Nepal
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has asked four ministers, including Aadhav Arjuna, to travel to New Delhi and coordinate with the Centre on rescue and relief operations.
School Education Minister Raj Mohan told the Tamil Nadu Assembly that 106 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry had travelled to Nepal. Of these, 103 were from 10 districts of Tamil Nadu, including Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvannamalai and Chennai, while three were from Puducherry.
Twenty pilgrims who were travelling in a bus caught in floodwaters triggered by an avalanche have been rescued. They are currently staying at a reserve police camp, where arrangements have been made for shelter and medical assistance. Officials are working to move them to Kathmandu through an alternate route.
The government is now concentrating on establishing contact with the remaining 86 pilgrims and is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Nepal.
According to Raj Mohan, the pilgrims were travelling in three buses when the second bus was hit by the sudden surge of water. All 20 people aboard that vehicle were subsequently rescued.
The pilgrimage had been organised by two travel agencies. Thanjavur-based Super Yathirai Agency had arranged the trip for 57 people, including the three pilgrims from Puducherry. Chennai-based Mahadev Kailash Yathirai had organised the travel of another 49 people. Officials have not yet established the whereabouts of those 49 pilgrims.
Following a review chaired by Vijay, four ministers were asked to proceed to Delhi to work with the central government on the rescue operation. Tamil Nadu Resident Commissioner Ashish Kumar will head an official team travelling to Nepal to monitor rescue and relief measures.
Raj Mohan said the state would make every effort to bring all the pilgrims back safely, including a retired High Court judge among those affected. He added that the rescued passengers would receive medical and emergency support after the traumatic experience.
