Malaysians trapped in Indian floods safe, to return home

All the 57 Malaysians who were trapped by the floods in India’s Jammu and Kashmir state are in the process of returning to Malaysia, according to the Malaysian consul general in Chennai.

Chitra Devi Ramaiah said yesterday the 38 students and 19 tourists were being housed at flood relief centres and at hotels in Srinagar.

“Eleven of the students will fly home tonight and are expected to arrive (in Kuala Lumpur) at 5am tomorrow,” she said when contacted by Bernama.

Seventeen Malaysian tourists were at a hotel in Srinagar and two more at the home of their tour agent on high ground, she said, adding that they were in the process of securing tickets to fly to New Delhi.

Chitra Devi said Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman contacted Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday to seek the help of the Indian government to evacuate the trapped Malaysians.

“The local authorities in India and all local agencies contacted us directly and helped the consulate to coordinate efforts to rescue the Malaysians,” she said.

The floods which struck the Himalayan region have so far claimed more than 400 lives and destroyed bridges and telecommunications infrastructure and disrupted electricity and water supply.

The majority of Malaysians were trapped in Srinagar, the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir state, which was among the areas worst affected by the floods. — Bernama