No News About 49 Tourists Taken by Chromepet Travels Company, Say Kin

Chennai:The families of 49 persons who went on a spiritual tour to Nepal from Chromepet, on Thursday submitted a petition to Kanchipuram Collector D. Sneha to find their relatives since there was no information about them till now.

The relatives said the last time they heard from the 49 persons was on Wednesday morning around 6 am and they are unable to contact them after the Nepal flash floods. According to the relatives, the 49 persons booked their travel for the spiritual tour through Mahadev Kailash Yatra, a travels company for spiritual tours functioning at Chromepet. They left for Nepal from Chennai airport on August 14 through Delhi and planned to return on Thursday.

Their relatives said they did not know what happened to the 49 tourists till now since all communication networks had been snapped after the disaster. Seven of them, including the son of the tourist company owner Sathyanarayanan, and tourists Vikraman, Manjula, Vezhavendhan, Rajalakshmi, Amudha and Kishore are from Chromepet.

Another six persons, Meenatchi, Latha, Banumathi, Saraswathi, Chandran, Gopal and Arunachalam, are from Kanchipuram district. The other tourists are from Perambur, Alwarpet, Singaperumalkoil, Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, Theni, Virudhunagar, Namakkal, Erode, Karur, Tiruchy, Salem and Coimbatore. There were 27 women among the 49 tourists.

On Wednesday morning around 6 am, two of the tourists, Meenatchi and Chandran, spoke to their relatives and said they are heading towards Nepal. After the flash floods nothing was heard from any of the 49 tourists and the relatives are unable to contact them. The relatives requested the state and Central governments to find the 49 tourists and rescue them.

Retd HC judge from Mayiladuthurai missing after Nepal flood

Mayiladuthurai:Out of seven persons from Mayiladuthurai and Chidambaram who went on the spiritual tour to Nepal, six are said to be safe. However, the whereabouts of retired Madras high court judge Sivaganam Venkatraman and Rajeswari of Thillai Nagar, in Mayiladuthurai, are not know so far.

Revenue department sources said the Kumbakonam-based travel agency took 57 persons from different parts of the district on the Kailash-Manasarovar yatra on August 23, of which 21 were safe.

Seven persons, namely Rathinakumar and his wife Poonguzhali of the Thillai Nagar area in Mayiladuthurai, and their four relatives from Chidambaram, and Pushpalatha of Kazhuganimoottam, were safe, while the fate of the retired judge and Rajeswari of Abirami Nagar, Mayiladuthurai, are not known.

A team of revenue staff, led by Mayiladuthurai tahsildar Vijayaraghavan, visited the pilgrims’ houses and collected their details. The relatives of Sivaganam Venkatraman told the revenue officials that they were unable to contact him over his mobile phone or the toll-free number of the Nepal government.

As per information so far, 6 of 7 pilgrims of Mayiladuthurai were safe. However, information about the judge and Rajeswari are not known so far, leading to anxiety among the families.

Senthil Rajan, a close relative of the retired judge, said they gave his details in the toll-free number but, till now, they have not got any information.

Although 24 hours have passed, he wanted the Central and state governments to take speedy action.

Udhaya Kumar, husband of Rajeswari, said he attempted to contact the Nepal authorities through the toll-free number several times but he could not get any response from them. He threatened self-harm if the authorities did not take any action or if anything happened to his wife, in front of the Mayiladuthurai collectorate.

Tearfully, he said he was glued to the television set, waiting for information about his wife. He wanted the Central and state governments to ensure his wife’s safety.

Spiritual orator Mangaiyarkarasi says group of 150 pilgrims safe in Manasarovar

Chennai:Tamil spiritual orator Desa Mangaiyarkarasi Thursday released a video message from the Himalayas, saying that a group of 150 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu on the Kailash - Manasarovar yatra are safe and secure, amid reports of heavy floods and landslides in Nepal.

In a video message shared by her, Mangaiyarkarasi said the group was currently in the Manasarovar - Kailash region and all pilgrims were doing well.

She said in the video, “We have come for Kailash yatra. All 150 of us are safe. We heard there is news about floods in Nepal. But we are here in the Manasarovar and Kailash area, very safe and secure. No one needs to worry about us. Everyone is well. By the grace of Lord Shiva, we will complete the darshan and return safely.”

The video shows Mangaiyarkarasi speaking directly to the camera from the pilgrimage site on the Himalayas, followed by visuals of the entire group of 150 pilgrims.

The assurance comes as several parts of Nepal have been witnessing heavy rainfall, floods and landslides over the past few days, raising concern among families of pilgrims who travel to Kailash-Manasarovar via the Nepal route.

The Kailash-Manasarovar yatra, considered one of the most sacred pilgrimages for Hindus, passes through high-altitude terrain in Tibet via Nepal. Thousands of devotees from Tamil Nadu undertake the yatra every year during the June-September window.

Nepal tragedy: 3 women pilgrims from Tiruchy safe

Tiruchy:Of the 10 women pilgrims from Tiruchy, who got caught in the flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday, three confirmed their safety to their relatives through phone on Thursday.

The 10 women pilgrims of Tiruchy - Sivaranjani, Karpagam, Kirubakari, Vallinayagai, Sathya, Anbazhagi, Chitra, Sivayogam, Ilavarasi and Thangamani – went to Nepal through a private travel agency at Kumbakonam and were travelling in a bus when the flash flood occurred.

Of these 10, Sivaranjani (46), wife of Muthunathan of Woraiyur, Karpagam (62), wife of Rajmohan of K.K. Nagar, and Vallinayagi (63), wife of Sivakumar of Thillai Nagar in the city, were safe and confirmed their safety to their relatives through phone, according to their family.

Manoharan, a city-based advocate and relative of Vallinayagi, said she, Karpagam and Sivaranjani went to Nepal through the Kumbakonam travel agency. The buses they were in, along with a few other buses, got caught in the flash flood. But, thanks to the swift action of the driver of the bus in which 20 pilgrims, including Vallinayagi, Karpagam and Sivaranjani were, escaped.

They contacted him over phone Thursday and informed him that they were housed in a military camp. Their bus was stuck in the mud and their luggage was in the bus. They said it was very difficult to recover them and added that they didn’t know the whereabouts of others.

Amaravathi, a friend of Sivaranjani of Woraiyur, said they gave a happy send-off to Sivaranjani when she set off on the spiritual tour, but she felt very sad on hearing about the Nepal tragedy.

She added that she then went to the temple and offered a prayer for the safety of all those who undertook the tour. When she came out of the temple, she heard the news that Sivaranjani was safe and immediately thanked God, Amaravathi said.

Muthunathan, husband of Sivaranjani, said a group of 20 persons, including his wife, were travelling in a bus when the tragedy took place. The survivors have been rescued and housed in a military camp, he said.

He also said he heard it was very difficult to bring them back by road, and that they can be brought back only by helicopters.

He added that it will be known only by tomorrow.

The Union and Tamil Nadu governments are acting with speed and the district administration is continuously getting details from them, he said, and hoped that all the rescued persons will be home at the earliest. He also wanted all the missing persons to be rescued.

Son urges Centre, State govt to rescue Erode parents in Nepal

Erode: Kavinraj, son of an elderly couple from Erode, Natarajan (67) and wife Krishnaveni (56) who had travelled to Nepal on a spiritual pilgrimage, has appealed to Central and State governments to rescue them as they were reported missing in the wake of the flash flood that struck the foothills in Nepal on Wednesday evening.

Kavinraj spoke to his parents on Wednesday morning but could not contact them later.