Families in Erode, Coimbatore anxious as pilgrims remain unreachable after Nepal floods

COIMBATORE: Families in Erode and Coimbatore are living through anxious hours after several members of two pilgrimage groups to Nepal became unreachable following the devastating flash floods.

Among those whose whereabouts remain unknown are 67-year-old Natarajan of Vellode in Erode, who runs a mess, and his wife Krishnaveni (56). The couple had embarked on the pilgrimage with eight relatives through a Chennai-based travel operator and were scheduled to return to Chennai on Thursday.

The sudden loss of communication has left their families deeply worried, with no clarity on whether the pilgrims were caught in the floods or stranded in areas where telephone connectivity has been disrupted.

In a desperate attempt to locate his parents, their son Kavinraj left Erode on Thursday morning, travelled to Bengaluru and flew from there to Kathmandu. Meanwhile, relatives gathered at the couple's home in Kanagapuram, anxiously awaiting information.

Family members said the couple had closed their mess for 15 days to undertake the pilgrimage and had remained in regular contact with relatives throughout their journey.

“Natarajan spoke to the family last on Wednesday evening. He said they were waiting at an immigration office. After that, we could not reach them,” family members said.

A similar sense of anguish has gripped families in Coimbatore, where another group of pilgrims has also become unreachable. Punitha Chandrasekaran, a retired private-school principal, and her husband Chandrasekaran, a retired professor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, both residents of Vadavalli, had travelled to Kailash along with a 45-year-old woman and her son.

Their relatives have also been unable to establish contact with them following the floods. Their neighbour Ramesh Kumar said Chandrasekaran had managed to tell his son that he was in Tibet. Communication was subsequently lost, however, leaving the family uncertain about the group's current location and safety.