Uttarakhand cloudburst: 28-member Kerala tourist group, several from Maharashtra missing

Of the 28 individuals, 20 are reportedly from Kerala settled in Maharashtra, while the remaining eight are from various districts in Kerala, a relative of one of the couples in the group told the media.

Lucknow/Mumbai: A group of 28 tourists from Kerala, who were at Dharali at the time of the cloudburst, which triggered a mudslide and flash flood in Uttarkashi’s Dharali village, was reportedly missing and efforts were on to trace them.

According to reports, 20 members of the group, though originally from Kerala, were settled in Maharashtra, and the rest were from different places in Kerala.

Reports said that there was no contact with the group, which was on way from Uttarkashi to Gangotri, one of the major Hindu pilgrimages and part of the Char Dham.

Pilgrims, tourists from Maharashtra missing 

Maharashtra government has activated its network and has established contact with 51 persons from the western Indian state even as several others are reported missing.

The Maharashtra government is in touch with its Uttarakhand counterparts and are trying to get back the people of the state.

“Tourists from various districts of Maharashtra were stranded in Uttarkashi. These include 51 tourists, 11 from Nanded district and 40 from other districts. All these tourists are safe,” according to the State Emergency Operation Center.

“The Maharashtra government is ready to provide necessary assistance to the tourists stranded in Uttarakhand and is contacting the tourists. For this, the Maharashtra government is in touch with the Uttarakhand Disaster Management Centre and Uttarkashi District Disaster Center and efforts are underway through Maharashtra Sadan, Delhi to shift the stranded tourists to a safe place,” officials said.

Meanwhile, NCP (SP) working President and Baramati MP Supriya Sule said around 24 citizens from Manchar in Pune are stranded in Uttarakhand due to the recent cloudburst.

“Their families are extremely distressed as there has been no contact with them for the past 24 hour,” she said and appealed to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to intervene and help them out.