49 Nepal Tourists Booked via Chromepet Agency Unreachable After Flash Floods

Families of 49 pilgrims who travelled to Nepal through a tour operator in Chromepet have approached district authorities after losing contact with the group following severe flash floods in the Himalayan country. The relatives submitted a petition to Kanchipuram Collector D. Sneha on Thursday, urging the state and Central governments to locate and rescue the missing travellers.

According to the families, the 49 individuals booked their pilgrimage through Mahadev Kailash Yatra, a spiritual tour agency based in Chromepet. The group left Chennai airport on August 14, travelling via Delhi, and was scheduled to return on Thursday. However, relatives have not received any information regarding their safety since communication lines were severed by the natural disaster.

The last contact from the group occurred around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, when two members, Meenatchi and Chandran, spoke with their families and stated that they were travelling towards Nepal. No further communication has been possible since the flash floods occurred, leaving family members unable to reach anyone in the contingent.

The group comprises 27 women among the 49 tourists. Seven members of the tour group are residents of Chromepet, including the son of travel agency owner Sathyanarayanan, alongside Vikraman, Manjula, Vezhavendhan, Rajalakshmi, Amudha, and Kishore.

Another six members from Kanchipuram district have been identified as Meenatchi, Latha, Banumathi, Saraswathi, Chandran, Gopal, and Arunachalam. The remaining travellers in the group hail from several other localities and districts across Tamil Nadu, including Perambur, Alwarpet, Singaperumalkoil, Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, Theni, Virudhunagar, Namakkal, Erode, Karur, Tiruchy, Salem, and Coimbatore.

Fearing for the safety of their relatives in the flood-hit regions, the families have appealed for urgent coordinated action from government authorities to establish contact with the stranded pilgrims and facilitate their safe return.