Uttarakhand landslide: TN Govt in touch with officials to rescue Tamils, says CM Stalin

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday said the state government is taking all measures to rescue the Tamils, who are stranded in the hilly state of Uttarakhand.

Speaking to one of the stranded Tamils in Uttarakhand over phone, Stalin said that his government is in touch with the Uttarakhand officials and taking all measures to bring back the pilgrims safely to Tamil Nadu.

"I spoke to Parashakthi, one of the stranded Tamils in Uttarakhand. Efforts are on to bring back the pilgrims from Uttarakhand to TN safely, " Stalin said in a social media post.

As continuous rain pounds the Uttarakhand, there was a massive landslide on the Dharchula-Tawaghat national highway near Chaitalkot in Pithoragarh district.

As many as 30 devotees including 17 women went for a pilgrimage from Chidambaram to Adi Kailash in Uttarakhand on September 3 through a private travel agency.

The pilgrims were stranded after multiple landslides were reported on the Badrinath national highway on Saturday, September 14.

Following the instructions from Chief Minister MK Stalin and Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam, Cuddalore district collector Sibi Adhithya Senthil Kumar is in touch with the Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh collector and taking all steps to rescue the pilgrims to their respective places.

According to the official statement from the state government, all the 30 pilgrims are safe and food is being provided to them by the Uttarakhand officials.

"All the 30 pilgrims were rescued by the Uttarakhand government on Sunday and later they were taken to Dharchula of Uttarakhand. They will stay there in the camp for a few days and will be brought back to Tamil Nadu via New Delhi, " the release said.