6 days ago
NORKA Roots Confirms 60 Keralites Safe After Nepal Floods
Floods in Nepal made it hard for some travelers from Kerala to communicate with their families.
At first, NORKA Roots said it had identified 53 Keralites who could not be reached directly.
Later, the agency reviewed information about 82 people connected to the situation.
It said 60 Keralites had confirmed that they were safe.
Eight Keralites still could not be contacted, including four Australian citizens.
Fourteen other people on the list were from different Indian states.
A pilgrimage group with 19 people from Kerala was continuing its planned journey from Tibet toward Nepal.
Officials are sharing information with Indian authorities and helping travelers return home.
NORKA Roots later identified 82 people linked to the Nepal situation: 60 Keralites confirmed safe, eight uncontactable and 14 from other Indian states.
The eight uncontactable Keralites include four Australian citizens, and their details were shared with India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
An earlier assessment had identified 53 Keralites who could not be contacted because floods disrupted communications and other systems.
A 23-member Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage group, including 19 people from Kerala, was continuing from Tibet toward Saga and planned to travel through Nepal.
Other Keralites reported reaching India’s Darjeeling, staying safely in the Mount Everest region or facing travel difficulties in Nepal.
- Who
- NORKA Roots, led by CEO Rajesh Madhavan, is assisting Keralites and other Indian travelers affected by the floods; 60 Keralites were confirmed safe and eight remained uncontactable.
- What
- NORKA Roots updated its assessment of travelers linked to Nepal, reporting 60 Keralites safe, eight uncontactable and 14 people from other Indian states.
- Where
- Nepal, with some travelers in Tibet, India’s Darjeeling and the Mount Everest region.
- When
- The initial report was issued on Thursday, August 27; the updated status was issued on Friday, after information was collected through Thursday evening.
- Why
- Flash floods disrupted communications and travel, making it difficult to contact or track some travelers.
Reasons for Concern
Reasons for Reassurance
Ability to confirm everyone’s safety
Reasons for Concern
Eight Keralites remained uncontactable in the later update, while the earlier report said direct contact with 53 people was blocked by disrupted networks and their last known locations were still being identified.
Reasons for Reassurance
NORKA Roots said 60 Keralites had reported being safe, and other groups had been contacted or had informed families of their safe locations.
Travel and route risks
Reasons for Concern
Flooding disrupted travel, one person faced travel difficulties in Jajarkot, and some people’s exact locations were still uncertain.
Reasons for Reassurance
A 23-member pilgrimage group was continuing its planned route, while some Keralites had reached Darjeeling or were safe in the Mount Everest region.
Scale of the reported situation
Reasons for Concern
The initial figure was 53 Keralites, but a later verified list covered 82 people, showing that the number and status of people being tracked changed as information was cross-checked.
Reasons for Reassurance
The later assessment found that most of the 82 people had either confirmed their safety or were from other states whose details had been sent to relevant authorities.
Key facts
- Updated list
- 82 people were identified after information from government offices, the State Disaster Management Authority and NORKA Roots help desks was verified.
- Keralites confirmed safe
- 60 people from Kerala reported that they were safe.
- Keralites uncontactable
- Eight Keralites could not be contacted, including four Australian citizens.
- People from other states
- The remaining 14 people were from other Indian states.
- Earlier assessment
- NORKA Roots initially identified about 53 Keralites who could not be reached directly because of network disruptions.
- Pilgrimage group
- A 23-member Kailash Mansarovar group, including 19 people from Kerala, was traveling from Darchen in Tibet to Saga.
- Planned travel
- The pilgrimage group was scheduled to travel from Saga to Kathmandu on August 29 and return to India by air on August 31.
- Assistance
- NORKA Roots arranged help for Keralites reaching India from Nepal to travel onward to Kerala.
Quotes
Sandeep G Varier
Trikaripur MLA
“We re-contacted the family members who had reached out to us to confirm details. We collected the latest updates available, such as whether they had called recently or mentioned travelling to a specific location.”
theprint.in
“As of now, there is no reason for panic based on the details received so far. We have not heard of any casualties or severe distress among them, so we presume they are safe.”
theprint.in
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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