Over 90 Tamil Nadu Pilgrims Untraceable in Flood-Hit Nepal, 140 Safe

More than 90 people from Tamil Nadu who travelled to Nepal on pilgrimage remain untraceable following severe flooding in the Himalayan nation, while over 140 others have been traced and confirmed to be safe, state School Education and Information Minister A. Rajmohan said on Friday.

Addressing the media in New Delhi regarding the ongoing tracing and rescue operations, the minister stated that an estimated 400-plus people from Tamil Nadu had travelled to Nepal for the pilgrimage. Several groups found themselves cut off or stranded across various locations following the disaster.

Minister Rajmohan said the state government is taking active steps to establish contact with and account for every traveller from Tamil Nadu.

"More than 400 people may have travelled from Tamil Nadu. At present, we have not been able to establish contact with 90-plus people," the minister said, confirming that more than 140 individuals have already been located and are safe in different parts of Nepal.

The minister pointed out that establishing an exact count immediately remains a challenge as the state government continues to receive incoming information about visitors who are missing or stranded.

According to the minister, travellers had made the journey through different arrangements, ranging from large organised tour groups to small independent groups and solo trips.

"We keep getting information about new groups and individuals who have travelled to Nepal. Apart from those who went in large organised groups, many people have travelled individually or in smaller groups. We are trying to trace every single person," Rajmohan said.

The Tamil Nadu government is continuing its coordination efforts to track all remaining pilgrims and ensure their safety.