CHENNAI: Seventeen days have passed by since flash floods struck Nepal but the families of 49 people who went on a pilgrimage to the neighbouring country through an agency in Chromepet last month say they are yet to receive any further updates from the Tamil Nadu government other than that they are yet to be traced.
Meanwhile, in a bid to speed up the search and rescue operations in Nepal, three labs in Chennai, Thanjavur and Madurai are collecting blood samples from the first-degree relatives of those missing for DNA profiling. So far, DNA profiles of the kin of 78 of the total 85 Tamils who are missing have been handed over to the Nepal government, a TN government official told TNIE on Friday.
“The first-degree relatives of four missing people are living abroad. They are expected to reach Tamil Nadu in a week or so, following which blood samples would be taken from them for DNA profiling,” the official added.
N Maravel (55), operator of the travel agency in Chromepet whose 28-year-old son Sathya Narayanan also accompanied the 48 on the trip, told TNIE, “The blood samples have been given and I was told that most of the DNA profiles have been handed over. My family is waiting to hear positive news. We consulted an astrologer who said that my son was safe and would return home soon.”
Maravel said that some of the agency’s staff members have gone to Kathmandu to help in the rescue operations. News reports of people found alive in debris and sludge even after 10 days since the tragedy struck have given more hopes for Maravel.
The elder brother of one woman from Kancheepuram who was also part of the trip said, “Our family has been waiting for any sort of update from the government, but there is none. Nepal’s government is posting updates regarding the rescue operation, but nothing is there from the Chinese government. We tried reaching out to the Indian Embassy in Beijing as the group from Chromepet was near Tibet but there was no new update.”
