Hyderabad: Former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy is among the 31 pilgrims from Hyderabad who remain stranded in Nepal-Tibet due to flash floods that hit the region on Wednesday, August 26.
The 31 Indian nationals, who were on their Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, reported that they are safe, as they narrowly escaped the flood-affected area on Wednesday morning, hours before the flash flood struck the region.
In a video statement, a member of the pilgrimage group said they are looking for ways to proceed towards Hyderabad via the Tibet-China route rather than travelling through Nepal. “Once the Chinese authorities decide which exit route to assign us, we will attempt to return via that route,” the pilgrim said.
He said the group completed the pilgrimage on Wednesday and arrived safely in Darchen, from where they will head to Saga on Thursday, August 27.
“So far, no untoward incident or accident has happened to us. Emergencies come unannounced, but we are taking all safety precautions to return safely,” the group member said.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said that 288 Indians remain missing, including those working on hydropower projects and tourist groups. Twenty-one Indians from Tamil Nadu were rescued, he said.
Hundreds gather outside hospitals looking for loved ones
The flash floods, triggered after an ice-rock landslide blocked a river near the Nepal-China border, have affected several districts and left nearly 826 people missing, according to Nepal’s disaster management authorities.
The death toll on Thursday rose to 270, as authorities in Nepal raced against time to find thousands of missing people. Outside hospitals in Nepal, hundreds of people gathered, searching for family members and friends who went missing in the devastating flash floods.
Authorities had posted lists of people brought to the hospital so relatives could check whether their loved ones were among those rescued or receiving treatment. Photographs of people who had died were also displayed at the hospital.
Officials set up desks to record the names and other details of people whose whereabouts remained unknown, as families sought information about those still missing.
The emergency ward in the hospital was crammed by injured people undergoing treatment from affected areas.
(With inputs from PTI)
