Nepal Floods: Efforts On To Bring Back 21 Stranded Telugu Pilgrims
Status of 13 missing persons not clear yet
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government is making serious efforts to ensure safe travel for 21 stranded Telugu pilgrims among the nearly 145 pilgrims who reached Kodari to fly to Mumbai from Kathmandu on Sept. 1.
The state government has directed the AP Bhavan in Delhi to monitor the situation in the aftermath of the flash floods in Nepal last week, causing the death of around 730 persons while over 2,500 persons are reported missing or untraced. Efforts are on to ascertain the status of pilgrims from India.
The AP government is attempting to bring the stranded pilgrims from the state back to their homes safely, find out the status of the missing persons and confirm the names of the dead by establishing their identity.
Nearly 145 pilgrims, including 21 Telugus who reached Kodari, have completed their formalities and commenced their onward journey. Officials said, “They are expected to reach Kathmandu at around 10pm on Sunday. The 21 Telugu pilgrims are in touch with the AP Bhavan. We are extending the necessary assistance and coordinating with the authorities for their safe travel, overnight stay and onward travel.”
As for the 13 missing persons from Andhra Pradesh, whose names were included in the missing-person list being compiled through the Nepal Police and Indian Embassy channels, AP Bhavan is coordinating with the authorities to identify and trace them.
The AP Bhavan received the first list of the deceased persons from Nepal, which also listed cases involving mutilated/unidentified bodies. The list is extensive and written in Nepali language. The AP Bhavan is taking up a detailed examination to identify details of the flood-affected pilgrims from AP.
Special Commissioner of AP Bhavan, Arja Srikanth, said, “Out of the 13 missing persons, seven are from AP, and six are NRIs of AP origin. We are trying to find out their current status and checking whether any other person from AP is also affected by the floods.”
“We have got a list of deceased persons with known and unknown names, along with their photographs. Efforts are on to identify the names, known and unknown, along with their photographs,” he added.