Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 31 (ANI): The Tamil Nadu government has set up a three-member nodal team in Kathmandu to coordinate rescue operations and assist relatives of Tamil tourists stranded or missing in flood-hit Nepal.
According to an official statement issued by the Tamil Nadu government, several tourists from the State were affected by the floods during their visit to Nepal, with some reported missing and others stranded in affected areas.
The State government said all possible assistance was being extended on the instructions of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
So far, 21 tourists from Tamil Nadu have been rescued and brought to New Delhi before being sent to their respective native places. Search and rescue efforts are continuing for 84 more tourists from the state, according to the latest government statement.
The development comes as Nepal continues to deal with the aftermath of devastating flash floods, with the death toll rising to 903 on Monday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Around 4,247 people remain missing, while 10,451 people have been rescued.
Chitwan recorded the highest number of deaths at 272, followed by Nawalparasi East with 207, Nawalparasi West with 151, Nuwakot with 95, Gorkha with 62, Dhading with 55, Tanahun with 37 and Rasuwa with 24.
The disaster has also affected foreign nationals and workers at hydropower projects. According to authorities, 592 foreign nationals remain missing, while 933 people associated with hydropower projects are among those unaccounted for.
Rescue operations have been carried out by Nepal's security forces with assistance from aerial teams. The Nepal Army has conducted hundreds of flights, rescuing foreign and Nepali nationals from affected areas.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Minister Rajmohan said 319 people from the State had travelled to Nepal through different groups. Of these, 219 had been accounted for, while 100 remained untraced at that time.
The State has established a war room at Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi and coordinated with the Ministry of External Affairs, the Government of India and Nepalese authorities.
Rajmohan said the State government had received thousands of calls from families seeking information about their relatives.
"319 people from Tamil Nadu had travelled to Nepal through various groups. Of them, 219 are safe. They will reach Chennai by the night of August 31. The remaining 100 people have not yet been traced and are currently considered missing," Rajmohan said.
He said rescue teams were continuing efforts to locate the missing tourists and that the state government remained in coordination with central and Nepalese authorities.
Meanwhile, families of missing people have been gathering at help centres in Nepal, checking lists of rescued and deceased persons and waiting for information about their relatives.
Authorities have also begun burying unidentified bodies recovered from riverbanks in Chitwan after collecting DNA samples, as morgues face a shortage of space. Each body is being assigned a unique identification code, and detailed records are being maintained to facilitate future identification and handover to families. (ANI)
Nepal floods: Tamil Nadu sets up 3-member nodal team in Kathmandu to rescue stranded tourists
