At least 219 of the 319 Tamil Nadu residents stranded in flood-hit Nepal have been rescued, with search operations under way to trace the remaining 100, state Minister Rajmohan announced on Sunday, 30 August. The minister made the statement upon returning to Chennai airport from New Delhi, where Tamil Nadu officials have been coordinating the rescue mission.

Rescue Progress and Return Flights

The rescued residents are being repatriated in batches. Thirty-three people are scheduled to arrive in Coimbatore on a flight from Delhi on Monday evening, while six others are expected to reach Chennai later that night. An additional 39 people have also been confirmed safe, according to Minister Rajmohan.

A group of 150 Tamil Nadu residents had reached Kathmandu via the China border and was in the process of returning to India on different flights, the minister added.

Groups Still Unaccounted For

Among the most closely monitored cases is a 57-member group that travelled through a Kumbakonam-based travel agency. Of these, 21 members have been rescued and brought safely to Chennai, but the remaining 36 are yet to be traced.

Authorities are also awaiting confirmed information on 49 residents from Chromepet who travelled as part of the Mahadevi Yatra group. Their current location has not yet been established.

Scale of Destruction and Search Challenges

Minister Rajmohan described the Nepal floods as a disaster of international magnitude. The combination of difficult terrain, damaged roads, disrupted communication networks, and severe weather conditions has significantly hampered rescue and identification efforts. Bodies and personal belongings, he noted, could be swept hundreds of kilometres from the worst-affected zones, making the search particularly arduous.

Military personnel and rescue agencies from both India and Nepal have been deployed across the affected regions, though access to several locations remains severely restricted.

War Room and Government Coordination

A dedicated war room has been set up at Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi to coordinate the rescue operation, gather information on stranded residents, and support their families. State officials are in continuous contact with the Union government and other agencies involved in the mission.

Four Tamil Nadu ministers had travelled to New Delhi to oversee coordination efforts. Three have since returned to Chennai, while Non-Resident Tamils Welfare Minister K. Thennarasu remained in Delhi to monitor the operation and facilitate the safe return of those still missing.

With search teams still active and diplomatic channels engaged, authorities say the focus now shifts to locating the remaining 100 residents as weather conditions in Nepal remain volatile.