Ahmedabad, Aug 27 (PTI) The number of Gujarat-linked persons reported missing following devastating flash floods in Nepal has risen to 17, the authorities said on Thursday, as the state government stepped up coordination with the Centre to assist those stranded.
The updated list released by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) added six more persons to the earlier list of 11 missing or untraceable persons.
These 17 include persons linked to Ahmedabad, Anand, Rajkot, Valsad, Surat, Kheda, Amreli, Gandhinagar and Vadodara, with several of them being foreign citizens of Indian origin, an official statement said.
As per the SEOC list, four of them are from Gandhinagar, three each from Surat and Kheda, two persons each from Vadodara and Anand, one each from Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Amreli.
The list includes citizens of the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand who are originally from Gujarat.
Several of those on the list were travelling on the Kailash Mansarovar route through Nepal, while others were last known to be near the Friendship Bridge and the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border or in the Bagmati region near the Friendship Bridge, the statement said.
The earlier SEOC report had listed 12 persons as missing, but authorities later established contact with Roma Intwala of Valsad and found her safe in Nepal, reducing the number of those reported missing or untraceable to 11.
Gujarat government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani said the state government was in close coordination with the central government and the Ministry of External Affairs to assist Gujaratis and other Indian citizens affected by the flash floods in Nepal.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the state administration were in contact with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Ministry of External Affairs, while all information received about missing persons had been forwarded to the authorities concerned.
Vaghani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah were in constant touch with the Nepal government, and the Gujarat government was making every possible effort to help people from the state and their families during the crisis.
Under the CM’s guidance, helpline numbers have been issued across districts, and citizens facing any difficulty or seeking information about their relatives have been asked to contact the state control room or their respective district administrations, he said.
The Gujarat government issued helpline numbers on Wednesday for citizens affected by the floods in Nepal and their family members.
Gujarat residents and their families can contact the state control room on (079)232-51900 or 9978405304, besides helpline number 1070.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that at least 288 Indians remain missing and around 200 others are stranded on the Chinese side following devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, with New Delhi in constant contact with authorities in both nations to coordinate their rescue. PTI PJT PD NP
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