Kerala Chief Minister seeks help for Keralites stranded in flash floods-hit Uttarakhand

A 28-member group of Malayalis, including several from Mumbai, stranded in the Dharali region

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has sought the help of his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami to locate the whereabouts and ensure the welfare of Malayali travellers believed to be stranded in the flash floods-hit Uttarkashi district on Tuesday.

In a communique to Mr. Dhami late on Wednesday, Mr. Vijayan said media reports indicated that the travellers from Kerala remained incommunicado since disaster struck the Dharali region, situated an estimated 8,600 ft above sea level.

The flash floods had levelled buildings, including hotels and home stays, torn up roads, and destroyed the power supply, rendering the region a mobile and Internet blind spot. 

Mr. Vijayan requested Mr. Dhami to inform the State government of the whereabouts and welfare of Keralites touring the Dharali region. He expressed solidarity with the Uttarakhand government and said Kerala was willing to help the ongoing search-and-rescue operations. 

Mr. Vijayan’s letter to Mr. Dhami comes in the wake of reports that a 28-member group of Malayalis, including several from Mumbai, were stranded in the Dharali region. Their relatives in the State had expressed concern over their welfare. They said the group, most of whom are members of an extended family, had remained incommunicado since the floods ravaged Dharali.

The relatives said the tourists had arranged the trip through a travel agency based in Haridwar. However, the agency’s best efforts to locate them have not yielded any results.

The relatives said the last information they received from a group member was that they were leaving Uttarkashi for Gangotri hours before the disaster struck.