32 TN residents brought back

Relief writ large on their faces, 32 Tamil Nadu residents arrived from quake-hit Nepal. They were flown in from Delhi, where they were brought by the Indian rescue mission and later brought to Chennai in batches by different flights since Monday night, officials said.

Aishwarya Lakshmi, residing here and who had gone on a visit to the hilly region along with her parents, expressed relief at reaching home. “We were left clueless after the killer quake struck the Himalayan country,” she said.

“Even travelling in a cab was a risky affair due to the aftershocks and the vehicles used to stop frequently,” she said, narrating the ordeal.

However, after being moved to safer locations before being flown to Delhi by Indian rescue agencies, state government officials received them there and took care of their accommodation and travel back home, she said. 

More people from Tamil Nadu are scheduled to arrive later, officials said. On Sunday, the state government had said 311 people belonging to Tamil Nadu were stranded in Nepal following the quake and that efforts were on to bring them back safely.