Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on Thursday deputed four ministers to Delhi to coordinate rescue and relief measures after 37 of 57 tourists from the state went missing following devastating flash floods in Nepal.
Over 130 Indians, including many pilgrims on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, were reported missing, while scores of others remained stranded after flash floods swept through Nepal's central districts, cutting off affected areas, PTI reported, citing officials.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, along with several states including Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, have set up helplines for affected families.
At least 59 of the missing Indians were pilgrims travelling with the Samrat Tours and Travel agency for the Mansarovar Yatra, the agency said, adding that details on those affected remain sparse as the flooding has severely disrupted communication links.
In Tamil Nadu's case, the whereabouts of 37 of the 57 tourists from the state remain unknown, while 20 others have been accounted for, state officials said. The tourists were reportedly travelling to a temple in the Himalayas at the time of the disaster.
Separately, Coimbatore-based non-profit Isha Foundation said 77 of its members, who were at an immigration centre in the affected region, were unaccounted for.
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"There has been no official information on the whereabouts of any of the people who were at the immigration office," founder Sadhguru said, adding that 495 people linked to the organisation had returned safely. Nepali authorities later said the entire staff of that particular immigration centre were also out of contact.
Chief Minister Vijay held a review meeting to oversee relief efforts in the aftermath of the disaster and instructed a team of state officials to proceed to Kathmandu. He also deputed four ministers to Delhi to coordinate rescue and relief measures with the central government.
Meanwhile, 32 tourists from West Bengal were also reported missing, according to officials cited in the report, as several Indian states continued efforts to trace their stranded and missing citizens across the flood-hit region.
ALSO READ: Nepal Flash Floods: 37 From Tamil Nadu, 77 Isha Foundation Members Among Missing — Statewise List
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