Ahmedabad, Aug 28 (PTI) The number of Gujarat-linked persons reported missing following severe flash floods in Nepal has risen to 26, including several NRIs from the state, officials said on Friday.
The state government has stepped up coordination with the Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs to track and assist those stranded, they said.
The updated list released by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) added nine more names to the earlier figure of 17 untraceable individuals, many of whom were travelling along the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route or near the Nepal-Tibet border.
The missing persons, including NRIs living in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, have links to Ahmedabad, Anand, Rajkot, Valsad, Surat, Kheda, Amreli, Gandhinagar and Vadodara, it stated.
As per the SEOC list, five are from Ahmedabad (three US citizens and two from Canadian); five from Anand (three US and two Canadian citizens); three from Surat (two US citizens and a Mumbai resident); three from Kheda (one US and two Canadian citizens); one each from Rajkot and Valsad; four from Gandhinagar (three US and one Australian citizen); two from Amreli including one US citizen; and two from Vadodara, both citizens of New Zealand.
Several of the missing tourists were travelling on the Kailash Mansarovar route through Nepal, and others were last known to be near the Friendship Bridge and the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border or in the Bagmati region, the statement said.
Gujarat Minister Jitu Vaghani on Thursday said that the state government is coordinating with the Central government and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to assist Gujaratis and other Indian citizens affected by the flash floods.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the state administration were in contact with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Ministry of External Affairs, and all information about missing persons had been forwarded to the authorities concerned, he said.
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.
Gujarat residents and their families can contact the state control room on (079)232-51900 or 9978405304, besides helpline number 1070.
The massive flash flood originating in Tibet swept through central Nepal on Wednesday, devastating several towns and villages, washing away critical bridges and crippling a dozen hydropower projects as it gushed downstream, affecting multiple districts. PTI KA PD ARU
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