Indian Officials and Politicians Demand Rescue of Citizens Stranded in Nepal Floods

Massive flash floods near the Nepal Tibet border have left dozens dead and hundreds of Indians missing, prompting urgent calls for rescue operations from various Indian political leaders. In the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin questioned the state government regarding the status of missing Tamilians, specifically asking about the number of calls received on government helplines and the actions taken. Reports indicate that out of 57 pilgrims from a Kumbakonam based agency, 20 are safe while 37 remain missing. Additionally, a Chennai agency took 49 pilgrims to the Mansarovar yatra, and efforts are ongoing to ascertain their whereabouts. In Andhra Pradesh, BJP president P.V.N. Madhav expressed shock over the disaster in the Rasuwa district, where the Bhotekoshi river surged and swept away villages and damaged hydropower projects. He urged the central and state governments to coordinate the safe return of tourists and pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. YSRCP MP M. Gurumoorthy also appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian High Commission in Nepal for immediate medical care and evacuation. Gurumoorthy noted that a group of 26 travelers, including 14 from Visakhapatnam and 12 from Telangana, had reached a safe location in Kathmandu and were awaiting return arrangements. While center right coverage focused on the specific accountability of the state government and the plight of individual families in Tamil Nadu, center left coverage framed the event as a broader humanitarian crisis linked to climate change and environmental degradation in the Himalayan region.