Nepal-Tibet Flash Floods: Coimbatore Woman Reported Missing

Coimbatore: A 50-year-old woman from Coimbatore, Sarulatha Sadasivam, has been reported missing following the devastating flash floods that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on August 26.

According to reports, Sarulatha, wife of Dayalan Jayakumar and a resident of Chettipalayam in Perur, Coimbatore, was travelling with the Mahadev Yatra group from Chromepet, Chennai, as part of a 49-member group that departed Chennai on August 14.

She was reportedly inside the immigration building at the Gyirong (Kerung) border port when the flash flood struck.

Her last contact was at 8.16 am on August 26, while her last WhatsApp message was reportedly sent at 7.31 am that morning. The appeal states that she had entered China but had not cleared Chinese exit immigration.

Her family has appealed to anyone who may have seen her, travelled with the group, been in the same immigration queue or has any information about her whereabouts to contact them immediately. Information can be shared through the following contact numbers: +91 80568 39659, +91 94892 94799, +91 94888 58678 and +91 94434 79799.

While official confirmation from the district administration is yet to be released, around 12 people reportedly from Coimbatore had travelled for the pilgrimage at the time of the incident — eight through a travel agency based in Chromepet, Chennai, and four through a city-based private tour operator.

The families of the four pilgrims who travelled through the city-based private tour operator have confirmed that they are safe. According to the latest reports, the four are expected to arrive in the city tomorrow morning.

However, the other eight Coimbatore pilgrims were part of the 49-member group that travelled through the Chromepet-based travel agency in Chennai. The group comprised pilgrims from various parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Kancheepuram and Coimbatore, and had travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

The whereabouts of the 49-member group remain unknown, according to the latest reports. The group departed from Chennai on August 14 and, on the morning of August 26, reached the Gyirong Port immigration facility near the China-Nepal border to complete exit formalities and return home when a catastrophic flash flood struck the region.

Among the Coimbatore pilgrims whose whereabouts have reportedly not yet been established are retired TNAU professor M. Chandrasekhar (70) and his wife Punitha Chandrasekhar (60); Gayathri Devi, a private school correspondent, and her son Srivanth (25); Dr Suresh Venkatachalam from Nanjundapuram and his wife Thilagavathi Jotjiramalingam; and Raj Ramchand and Sarulatha (50).

Families of the missing people continue to await in distress seeking positive information from the authorities who are working hard to trace their whereabouts.

Distressed family members of those reported missing continue to wait anxiously for positive information, as authorities make efforts to trace their whereabouts and establish contact with them.