21 TN Pilgrims Rescued In Nepal, Status Of Others Including Former HC Judge Unclear

Chennai: In the first breakthrough in rescuing Indian Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims and tourists caught in the flash floods in Nepal, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said 21 persons from Tamil Nadu have been rescued. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared the name list of the 21 rescued pilgrims.

However, anxiety continued for relatives of the remaining tourists and pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, including Madras High Court former judge Justice Sivagnanam, who remained untraced. Tamil Nadu Information Minister Rajmohan told the Legislative Assembly that all 103 persons from Tamil Nadu and three from neighbouring Puducherry were stranded in Nepal. According to him, 20 of them were rescued (figures shared before the MEA put out the list) and efforts were on to find the others.

Rescue efforts underway

The pilgrims hailed from Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Krishnagiri, Tiruchi, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruvarur, Chennai and Namakkal districts.

Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, who held a meeting, instructed Ashish Kumar, Resident Commissioner, Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi, along with a team of officials, to proceed to Kathmandu to oversee relief and rescue measures and facilitate the safe return of survivors from Tamil Nadu.

He also deputed Rajmohan, Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna, Agriculture Minister R Vinoth and Minister for Non-Resident Tamils Welfare K Thennarasu to go to New Delhi to coordinate the operations, an official release said.

Isha Foundation followers missing

In a related event, Isha Foundation founder Jaggi Vasudev, in a video message posted from the Tibet side of the China border, said a group of 80 followers of his spiritual organisation, including nationals of the US, Canada, Australia, England, Germany, France, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, and South Africa, were missing in the flash floods. This included 46 women.

He said roads and telecommunication services had been cut off on both sides of the border, and there was no information about the missing members.

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Families await updates

From Coimbatore, eight pilgrims, including four women, who had gone to Nepal through a Chennai travel agency have gone missing.

In Thanjavur, family members of 16 tourists are desperately seeking information. Offering each other comfort and hope, Thanjavur District Collector Revathi said a WhatsApp group has been formed to provide updates to them.

Some persons like Muthunathan, employed with BHEL in Tiruchi, were relieved to hear their dear ones were safely evacuated. His wife Sivaranjani had managed to reach the base camp and is awaiting evacuation to Kathmandu. The only concern is that with roads being heavily damaged, there is no clarity on when they would be airlifted.

Relatives of the missing tourists remained glued to TV channels, hoping for some clue about their near and dear ones. They were also desperately in touch with the State Helpline.