More stranded Malaysians seeking help in Chennai

With more rain forecasted by the Indian Meteorological Department, Malaysian students and tourists stranded at the Tamil Nadu capital of Chennai have sought help from the Malaysian Consulate-General’s Office.

Some Malaysians when contacted said they were worried over hotels in the city running out of food and power which were available only for few hours.

A couple from Klang in Selangor, K Kamalakannan and wife N Kasthuri, said there were many Malaysians at the hotel in T Nagar where they were staying, adding that the area was popular among Malaysians.

“We were aware of the first wave of floods which hit Chennai about two weeks ago, and were told the worst was over. So, we decided to attend a religious festival in Tiruvanamali, about 250km from here.

“Our flight back home was supposed to have been today, and with the airport closed until Dec 6, we are trying to secure boat service to take us to higher ground so that we can find our way back home, either via the Tiruchi Airport or Bengaluru International Airport in Karnataka,” said Kamalakannan.

A woman, identified as Sonia Nair Vijaya Kumar tweeted: “Water has entered our hotel area... and the water level is increasing.”

When contacted, Consul-General R Citra Devi said nearly 30 students of the Meenakshi Ammal Dental College in Maduravoyal in Chennai, managed to find their way to other airports and had already returned to Malaysia.

She said only four to five students remained at their hostels.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit flood-hit areas in Chennai late this evening.

“Leaving for Chennai to take stock of the situation due to the devastating floods,” he tweeted.

- Bernama