Expressing deep concern about the missing pilgrims, Maravel Nagappan, the firm owner, said that over 40 yatris from Tamil Nadu had completed the Kailash yatra and were waiting to enter Nepal from the China side when the disaster struck on August 26.

The travel firm owner requested the Central government to get information about the untraceable yatris from the Chinese authorities. “The Kailash yatra, began on August 14,” he said. “My son Sathyanarayana had led the team, and had spoken to Nepalese associates to keep vehicles ready at their end for them, just before the disaster struck.”

Nagappan told reporters that his son had conveyed to the Nepalese travel associates that they may clear the immigration formalities after two hours and accordingly, vehicles should be made available at the Nepal side. “Our group of 49 people were 100% on the China side at that time. We request the Union government to take action quickly and get information from China,” he stated.

At the time of the disaster, 11 teams of Indian yatris, including those from TN, were waiting to enter China from the Nepal side. “You would have seen video clips of two out of three buses getting swept away in the floods and they were among those waiting to enter China,” he said.

At the same time, three teams were waiting to exit China and enter Nepal. He claimed: “Pilgrims who ran away from the immigration building were from our team. We identified them (by scrutinising the video clips) by our signature jerkin with dark blue-grey shades. There are also possibilities for yatris to have survived. All the information related to yatris has already been provided to State government officials.”