Nepal flash floods: 220 of 350 Tamils safe; efforts continue to trace others, Advocate General tells Madras High Court

Security personnel and others at an army base camp during a rescue and relief operation in the aftermath of the recent flash floods, in Rasuwa district, Nepal | Photo Credit: PTI Advocate General (A-G) Vijay Narayan on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) told the Madras High Court that 220 out of 350 Tamils reportedly stranded in the Nepal flash floods were safe and that the State government had provided free air tickets for the return of a few, besides issuing air tickets to Kathmandu for the relatives of some others who are still missing.Appearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, the A-G said that a total of 305 Tamils had travelled to Nepal from Tamil Nadu and another 45 Tamils (36 from other countries and nine from other States) had gone there from elsewhere. He said that 220 of them were reported safe as of 6 p.m. on September 1, 2026.The A-G said that 57 people, including retired Madras High Court judge V. Sivagnanam, had gone on a spiritual tour to Nepal via Super Yatra Travels in Kumbakonam. As many as 21 of them had been rescued, while the remaining 36 were unreachable. The brother of a missing woman named Tiripurasundari was issued a free air ticket to Kathmandu, and he provided a sample for DNA testing (to help identify his missing sister).Similarly, air tickets at government expense had been provided to three more persons, including the retired judge’s son, S. Gnanasambandam. Three officials from the Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi had been stationed in Kathmandu to provide necessary assistance in tracing the missing Tamils, and a help centre set up by the Tamil Nadu government had so far received 2,336 telephone calls, the A-G said.He said that all 150 persons who had gone on a spiritual tour through Aathma Yoga tour operator had now reached Tamil Nadu and returned to their native places. Of the 39 others who went on the Kailash Yatra through Ideal Tours and Trekking, all had reached New Delhi between August 30, 2026, and September 1, 2026, and proceeded to their native places after being received by Minister for Non Resident Tamils Welfare K. Thennarasu.Efforts are continuing through the Indian Embassy to contact 49 Tamils who had gone on a tour through Mahadev Kailash Yatra Travels, located in Guduvancheri, Chennai. Further, of the 10 other persons who were reported missing through the helpline numbers, five have reached Tamil Nadu. One of them, Abhishek of the Nilgiris district, was provided with a free air ticket from Nepal to Coimbatore, the A-G added.The other five Tamils have gone to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh as per their own plan and have decided to return to Tamil Nadu a few days later. “The State government has been making continuous efforts to trace the missing Tamils and bring them back safely,” the A-G said in response to a public interest litigation petition filed by an advocate seeking to rescue all the Tamils, including the retired judge.After taking note of the A-G’s submissions, the judges directed the Centre as well as the State government to file a further status report after a week. Published - September 02, 2026 04:11 pm IST