Amravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], August 27 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday directed officials to coordinate through all possible channels to ensure the safety and well-being of people stranded in Nepal. He instructed them to continuously track the details of those whose whereabouts are not known and keep their family members informed without delay, according to a release from the CMO.
The Chief Minister directed officials to maintain constant coordination with the Central Government and Indian diplomatic missions. He also instructed them to take steps for safe evacuation through alternative routes, wherever necessary, in addition to working for the restoration of road and air connectivity.
He stressed that bringing Andhra Pradesh residents facing difficulties in Nepal safely back to their native places should be the top priority and directed all concerned departments to work in close coordination. He further instructed officials to ensure there was no delay in providing information to the families, continuously monitor the situation and keep him updated with the latest developments, the release said.
Naidu reviewed the situation of Andhra Pradesh residents stranded in the devastating floods in Nepal. Officials informed the Chief Minister on the relief and rescue measures undertaken so far. They also informed the CM that several pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh who had travelled to Mansarovar were stranded in the Nepal floods. Officials said that information regarding their safety and whereabouts was being collected continuously.
So far, 41 persons from Andhra Pradesh have been identified as being stranded in Nepal, according to the Andhra CMO. Of them, 34 are safe, while the whereabouts of seven others are yet to be ascertained.
Officials explained that some of the stranded persons remain there as road and air connectivity is yet to be fully restored. They informed the Chief Minister that four persons from the Kurnool-Adoni region are safe in Tibet and that they have been contacted. Similarly, 28 pilgrims from the Tirupati region are safe in Kathmandu and have also been contacted through the Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS).
Officials said seven persons from Chittoor, Vijayawada, Kakinada and Guntur are currently untraceable. Of the seven missing persons, three had travelled to Mansarovar as part of a pilgrimage organised by the Isha Foundation. Their phones are currently unreachable. The officials said that the families of those affected are being provided with updates regularly. A control room has been set up at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi to monitor the situation. They said that regular coordination is being maintained with the Central Government as well as the Indian embassies in Kathmandu and China.
The actions came in the wake of devastating flash floods in Nepal.
The death toll in the flash floods in Nepal has risen to 359, while 910 people remain missing or out of contact, as authorities intensify search, rescue and relief operations amid a warning of another major flood threat from a newly formed lake upstream of the Lhende River.
According to the latest "Rasuwa Bhotekoshi Flood Search, Rescue and Relief Update" issued by Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) up to 6:20 PM (local time) on Thursday, 359 bodies have been recovered from eight districts. (ANI)
CM Naidu directs officials to maintain coordination with Centre to trace missing Andhra people in Nepal floods
