Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Tamil Nadu Sends Teams to Nepal for Flood Rescue
Flash floods in Nepal left some people from Tamil Nadu stranded or unreachable.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay asked government teams to help find and rescue them.
An official team led by Ashish Kumar was sent toward Kathmandu.
Four ministers went to Delhi to work with India’s central government.
Officials also planned medical care and safe travel home for rescued people.
They said 20 people had been rescued.
Reports described one group of 57 pilgrims and another group of 49, although officials also referred to 103 stranded Tamils.
Helplines and a control room were created so families could seek information.
Opposition leaders asked the government how many calls it received and what it had done for people still unreachable.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay directed officials to coordinate the rescue and relief of Tamil Nadu residents affected by Nepal floods.
Resident Commissioner Ashish Kumar and a team were assigned to travel from Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi to Kathmandu.
Four Tamil Nadu ministers were sent to Delhi to coordinate with the Union Government and arrange medical help and repatriation.
Officials reported 103 stranded Tamils, while separate travel details indicated 106 pilgrims across two groups.
Twenty people were confirmed rescued, while authorities continued searches, verification and efforts to determine the whereabouts of others.
- Who
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, state officials and ministers, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry pilgrims, Nepali authorities, and India’s Union Government.
- What
- The Tamil Nadu government organized rescue, relief, medical assistance and repatriation efforts for pilgrims affected by flash floods in Nepal.
- When
- The review meeting and Assembly discussion took place on Thursday after the Nepal flash floods.
- Where
- The affected pilgrims were in Nepal, with operations coordinated through Kathmandu, Delhi and Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi.
- Why
- To locate stranded or missing pilgrims, assist those affected and bring rescued people safely back to India.
Government Response
Opposition Questions
Rescue coordination
Government Response
The government said teams were being sent to Kathmandu and Delhi, authorities were coordinating with Nepal and India’s Union Government, and the situation was being monitored regularly.
Opposition Questions
DMK, AIADMK and other opposition members questioned whether enough action had been taken to locate people who remained missing or unreachable.
Helpline performance
Government Response
The government established emergency helplines and a Delhi control room to assist stranded people and their relatives.
Opposition Questions
Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin asked how many calls the helpline had received and what action had followed.
Reported numbers
Government Response
Officials cited 103 stranded Tamils, while also describing two pilgrimage groups totaling 106 people as authorities verified travel details.
Opposition Questions
The differing figures created uncertainty about the exact number of people involved and the status of those still unaccounted for.
- Reported stranded people
- The Tamil Nadu government said 103 Tamils were stranded in Nepal.
- First pilgrimage group
- Initial information identified 54 people from 10 Tamil Nadu districts and three people from Puducherry, totaling 57.
- Second pilgrimage group
- A Chennai-based operator reportedly took 49 pilgrims to Mansarovar, bringing the cited total across the two groups to 106.
- Rescued people
- Twenty people were confirmed rescued, and officials said efforts were under way to bring them home through Kathmandu.
- Officials deployed
- Resident Commissioner Ashish Kumar and a team were assigned to Kathmandu, while four ministers were sent to Delhi.
- Control room
- Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi established a control room for affected people and their families.
- Helplines
- Numbers announced were 18003093793 within India, +918069009900 for an outside-India missed call, +918069009901 for contact, and +91 9289516712 for the control room.
