Erode: 30-ft mud stands between son and missing parents

COIMBATORE: A 30-foot wall of mud and debris has come in the way of an Erode man's hopes to find his parents, who went missing after the Nepal floods.

The immigration facility where his parents were last staying has been one of the worst hit in the floods, and emergency personnel don't see any quick breakthrough to end his ordeal of finding his missing parents, Natarajan (67) and his wife Krishnaveni (56), residents of Vellode in Erode district.

After a desperate three-day search, I aborted my mission and returned to Erode on Sunday with a heavy heart, said N Kavinraj (35). “I went to Kathmandu hoping to find my parents, but could not locate them anywhere. Their names have been included in the list of people reported missing in the floods. More than 30 feet of mud and debris have accumulated around the immigration office where my parents were present when the disaster struck, making the rescue operation extremely challenging,” he said.

His parents had travelled to Nepal on a spiritual tour on August 14, along with relatives, through a Chennai-based travel operator. The couple last spoke to their son Kavinraj over the phone on August 25

When the couple became unreachable after the floods, Kavinraj travelled to Kathmandu to search for them. He visited hospitals, military camps and other locations over the next three days, but was unable to trace his parents.