Thanks to the quick steps taken by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to rescue the pilgrims stranded in Uttarakhand due to heavy rains and landslides, the team of officials from Tamil Nadu has so far evacuated 275 pilgrims from the hill state and established contacts with 382 more.
Besides, expeditious steps are being taken to rescue 11 more pilgrims stranded in Gourikund, by employing helicopter.
An official release here said 671 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu went to Uttarakhand and of them 157 have been brought back to Chennai safely by the official team of the state government headed by Special Representative of Tamil Nadu at New Delhi while 118 pilgrims are staying in Tamil Nadu House at New Delhi.
They would reach Chennai by flight any time soon in batches. Besides, the officials have established contact with 382 pilgrims.
Of the 14 pilgrims yet to be contacted by officials, it has been found that 11 hailing from Villupuram district are stranded in Gourikund. Expeditious steps are being taken to rescue them using helicopter. One pilgrim from Ramanathapuram district could not be contacted so far, the release added.
The pilgrims who reached Chennai by flight thanked the CM for her timely act of saving their life.