7 AP Residents Remain Untraced Amid Nepal Floods

Seven Andhra Pradesh residents remain untraced amid flash floods in Nepal, while 34 others from the state stranded there have been traced and found safe, officials said on Thursday. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to intensify efforts to locate the missing persons and ensure the safe return of those stranded. Naidu directed officials to maintain round-the-clock coordination with the Centre, Indian diplomatic missions and other agencies to trace those unaccounted for and facilitate evacuation through alternative routes wherever necessary.

Of the 41 AP residents identified as stranded in Nepal, 34 were safe and had been contacted, while the whereabouts of seven others were yet to be ascertained, officials told Naidu during a review of the situation.

Among those whose families are seeking information is V.S. Balasubrahmanyam, a Kuppam resident who had settled in Hyderabad and travelled to Nepal on a Manasarovar pilgrimage. His brother Srikanth said Balasubrahmanyam last spoke to the family on Tuesday morning, after which his phone was switched off.

The family later learnt that the group was at the Gyirong Immigration Centre on Wednesday morning, around the time flash floods were reported in the area. The group was scheduled to return to Hyderabad on August 29. Srikanth, a lawyer, has approached the Chief Minister’s Office and the Indian Embassy seeking help in tracing his brother.

Several AP pilgrims travelling towards Mansarovar were among those affected by the floods. Four persons from the Kurnool-Adoni region were safe in Tibet and had been contacted, while 28 pilgrims from the Tirupati region were safe in Kathmandu and had been contacted through the Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS), officials said.

Tirupati MP Dr M. Gurumurthy said the 26 pilgrims from the region who travelled through Tirupati-based Sign In Travels were safe in Kathmandu. He said he had spoken to two pilgrims and the travel agent and contacted officials regarding their situation. The pilgrims were awaiting official advice on whether to continue their journey or return to India, he said.

The Chief Minister instructed officials to work with the authorities concerned to restore road and air connectivity, monitor the situation continuously and keep the families of affected persons informed.

Officials said the floods had disrupted road and air connectivity, making evacuation difficult in some areas. A control room has been set up at AP Bhavan in New Delhi to monitor the situation and coordinate assistance, with regular coordination being maintained with the Central government and Indian diplomatic missions in Kathmandu and China.

Infographic points:

- 41: AP residents identified as stranded in Nepal

- 34: Reported safe

- 7: Still untraceable

- 4: Kurnool-Adoni residents safe in Tibet

- 28: Tirupati pilgrims safe in Kathmandu

- 3: Missing persons travelled to Mansarovar with Isha Foundation pilgrimage

- 7: Missing persons from Chittoor, Vijayawada, Kakinada and Guntur

- Control room: Set up at AP Bhavan, New Delhi

- Coordination: Centre, Indian missions in Kathmandu and China.