6 days ago
Tamil Nadu Monitors Mansarovar Pilgrim Rescue Amid Nepal Floods
Floods in Nepal trapped people traveling on a Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.
The Tamil Nadu government says it is checking the pilgrims’ safety every hour.
Officials first identified 54 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and three from Puducherry.
They later learned that a Chennai travel agency had taken 49 more pilgrims.
This made the reported total 106 people connected to the pilgrimage from these places.
Twenty Tamil pilgrims were rescued after their vehicle became stuck in floodwaters.
Officials are still trying to find information about the separate group of 49 pilgrims.
Nepalese authorities and rescue teams are using helicopters and ground teams to help people.
The Tamil Nadu government has opened helplines for families seeking information.
Tamil Nadu is monitoring stranded Mansarovar pilgrims and their rescue status hourly.
Officials identified 54 Tamil Nadu pilgrims, three from Puducherry, and 49 additional pilgrims from Chennai.
Twenty pilgrims were rescued after their vehicle became trapped and were taken to safety at a camp in Timure.
Authorities are trying to determine the whereabouts and travel plans of the separate group of 49 pilgrims.
Nepal reported 384 pilgrimage passengers, 75 injured, and 209 rescued amid extensive flood damage.
- Who
- Pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the Tamil Nadu government, Minister A Rajmohan, Nepalese rescue authorities, and two travel operators.
- What
- Authorities are monitoring the rescue of stranded Mansarovar pilgrims and trying to locate 49 additional pilgrims.
- Where
- The pilgrims were traveling in the Nepal-Tibet border region, including Rasuwa, Timure, and Syabrubesi; 20 rescued pilgrims were taken to an Armed Police Force camp in Timure.
- When
- The issue was discussed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Thursday, August 27; monitoring is being conducted hourly.
- Why
- Catastrophic flooding following a glacier collapse caused a massive flash flood, trapping pilgrims and damaging roads and bridges.
Government Response
Opposition Demands
Tracking the pilgrims
Government Response
The government said it had identified 106 pilgrims connected to the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry groups and was working to determine the whereabouts and travel plans of the 49 additional pilgrims.
Opposition Demands
The opposition sought clarity on how many Tamils were stranded or rescued and specifically asked about tracing 37 people described as missing by AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.
Rescue arrangements
Government Response
Minister A Rajmohan said 20 pilgrims had been rescued and that Tamil Nadu was coordinating efforts while Nepalese authorities used helicopters and ground teams.
Opposition Demands
Opposition members asked whether the state had appointed a special officer to lead rescue operations.
Assembly procedure
Government Response
Speaker J C D Prabhakar asked the minister to brief the Assembly before members raised the issue, saying they could speak afterward.
Opposition Demands
DMK and AIADMK members demanded that opposition parties be allowed to raise the matter first, with Udhayanidhi Stalin saying parties had given advance notice.
Key facts
- Pilgrims initially identified
- 54 from 10 Tamil Nadu districts and 3 from Puducherry
- Additional pilgrims
- 49 taken by a Chennai-based travel agency
- Reported total from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
- 106
- Tamil pilgrims rescued
- 20 were evacuated to safety after their vehicle became trapped
- Overall pilgrimage passengers
- 384, including 291 foreigners and 93 Nepalese
- Overall rescue figures
- 209 people rescued; 75 injured
- Rescue monitoring
- Tamil Nadu says it is monitoring the situation hourly
- Helplines
- India: 18003093793; New Delhi control room: 9289516712; overseas contacts: +918069009900 and +918069009901
Quotes
A Rajmohan
Tamil Nadu School Education Minister who briefed the Assembly on the rescue operation
“The state government is monitoring the rescue and status of pilgrims on an hourly basis, and currently steps are on to bring the 20 people who were rescued through Kathmandu”
theprint.in
deccanchronicle.com
“The second vehicle was stuck due to the sudden flooding. About 20 Tamils were quickly rescued and evacuated to safety”
theprint.in
Sources
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