17 days after Nepal floods, 85 TN pilgrims remain missing
Of the 305 tourists from Tamil Nadu who got caught in the Nepal flash floods amid a pilgrimage, 220 have been rescued, while 85 remain missing.Seventeen days after the disaster, which occurred on August 26, families of 49 people who travelled to Nepal through a pilgrimage agency in Chromepet say they have received no updates from the Tamil Nadu government beyond being told that their relatives are yet to be traced.According to reports, DNA profiles of the relatives of 78 of the 85 missing Tamils have been handed over to the Nepal government.The Tamil Nadu government had announced on September 3 that free DNA tests would be conducted for first-degree relatives of pilgrims from the state who went missing in the Nepal flash floods. The tests are being conducted at forensic science laboratories in Chennai, Madurai and Thanjavur.The government had also instructed district collectors to make arrangements to take willing first-degree relatives to the nearest regional laboratory for blood sample collection. Their details would then be uploaded to the Nepal government's website to facilitate identification.The state government has also said it would provide assistance to relatives who wish to travel to Nepal, along with the required documents and details.The floods have emerged as one of Nepal's deadliest disasters in decades, with more than 1,300 people killed and thousands still missing. The floods, triggered by a massive glacial collapse on August 26, swept through several districts, destroying roads, bridges and hydropower facilities and leaving hundreds of workers trapped in tunnels. Rescue teams continue to recover bodies and, in some cases, find survivors days after the disaster.According to the Nepal government, reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure is expected to cost $4.78 billion. The Nepal government also intends to raise the issue at the United Nations to draw the attention of the international community to the repeated loss of life and property Nepal has faced due to climate change and climate-related disasters.
OF the 305 tourists from Tamil Nadu who got caught in the Nepal flash floods amid a pilgrimage, 220 have been rescued, while 85 remain missing.
Seventeen days after the disaster, which occurred on August 26, families of 49 people who travelled to Nepal through a pilgrimage agency in Chromepet say they have received no updates from the Tamil Nadu government beyond being told that their relatives are yet to be traced.
According to reports, DNA profiles of the relatives of 78 of the 85 missing Tamils have been handed over to the Nepal government.
The Tamil Nadu government had announced on September 3 that free DNA tests would be conducted for first-degree relatives of pilgrims from the state who went missing in the Nepal flash floods. The tests are being conducted at forensic science laboratories in Chennai, Madurai and Thanjavur.
The government had also instructed district collectors to make arrangements to take willing first-degree relatives to the nearest regional laboratory for blood sample collection. Their details would then be uploaded to the Nepal government's website to facilitate identification.
The state government has also said it would provide assistance to relatives who wish to travel to Nepal, along with the required documents and details.
The floods have emerged as one of Nepal's deadliest disasters in decades, with more than 1,300 people killed and thousands still missing. The floods, triggered by a massive glacial collapse on August 26, swept through several districts, destroying roads, bridges and hydropower facilities and leaving hundreds of workers trapped in tunnels.
Rescue teams continue to recover bodies and, in some cases, find survivors days after the disaster.
According to the Nepal government, reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure is expected to cost $4.78 billion. The Nepal government also intends to raise the issue at the United Nations to draw the attention of the international community to the repeated loss of life and property Nepal has faced due to climate change and climate-related disasters.
