TN sets up war room as 100 pilgrims remain untraceable in Nepal floods
About 100 of the nearly 319 individuals who travelled from Tamil Nadu through to Nepal were still untraceable and missing following the flash floods there, state minister A Rajmohan has said.
As many as 219 persons are safe and secure, the Minister for Information added.
Explaining the action taken to bring the Tamil pilgrims stranded in Nepal and nearby territories falling under China, Rajmohan said that over the past three days, he and his Cabinet colleagues were in Delhi as per Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's directive to coordinate the rescue efforts.
Referring to discussion held with the Foreign Secretary, Rajmohan, flanked by Agriculture Minister R Vinoth, said, 319 individuals travelled through various groups to the Himalayan destinations before the floods wreaked havoc.
He said that out of the 319 people, nearly 219 are safe and secure and that the remaining were still untraceable and missing.
"This is an international catastrophe, a massive disaster, and the gravity of it is enormous," he told reporters at the Chennai airport late on Saturday.
The disaster's magnitude and impact are such that the belongings of the flood-hit persons have a chance of being found even many hundreds of kilometers away from the site of the incident.
Working with immense difficulty, the military personnel and first responders have been carrying out rescue operations by following various methods including using helicopters.
More than 15,000 military personnel, who are trained in such incidents, are carrying out these rescue operations and it continues, he said.
"Some unclaimed bodies have also been recovered. Until the identification process is fully completed and officially declared, we cannot jump to any conclusions," he underlined.
Emphasising that there are stories of people surviving even 4-5 days following the disaster, he said, "at this moment, we must not lose hope and faith."
The minister also gave a rough break-up for the 300-plus persons who travelled from Tamil Nadu to the Himalayan nation in various groups.
He also gave a tentative plan of survivors to return to Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, in a social media post, MDMK leader and Lok Sabha MP Durai Vaiko, said he visited on August 29 the family of a resident of his Tiruchirappalli Parliamentary constituency, Vimala (50), who is stranded in Nepal.
"Out of the 5 individuals from my constituency who are stranded in Nepal, Mrs Karthika Rajmohan (62), Mrs Sivaranjani Muthunathan (46), and Mrs Vallinayagi Sivakumar (61) have already been safely rescued. Currently, it is not possible to contact the two individuals, Mrs Vimala (50) and Mrs Ganga Sundarambal (67)," he said.
He urged the Union government to safely rescue everyone, including Vimala, and reunite them with their families and added that he was continuing his efforts to coordinate their rescue.
Currently, Minister for Non-Resident Tamils Welfare, K Thennarasu is staying back in Delhi in connection with the rescue operations.
The government of Tamil Nadu immediately set up a war room to help the affected families, he added. Rajmohan and Vinoth returned to Chennai late on Saturday night from the national capital.
