"More than 200 Indian students are trapped in the US city of Houston; two of them in the ICU, after the Hurricane Harvey that stormed the region caused devastating floods," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday.
"More than 200 Indian students are trapped in the US city of Houston; two of them in the ICU, after the Hurricane Harvey that stormed the region caused devastating floods," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday.
In a series of tweets, Swaraj said that every effort is being made to rescue the students. She also said that she is in touch with the Consul General of India in Houston, Anupam Ray, who is in charge of the rescue operations.
The students, the minister said, are at the campus of the University of Houston, an area under neck-deep water. The US Coast Guard did not allow India to send them food and other relief material, as boats are needed to reach the affected areas, she said.
Swaraj also tweeted that two of the students were unwell and have been hospitalised. "The ministry is ensuring that their relatives reach them as soon as possible. Indian students Shalini and Nikhil Bhatia are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We are ensuring that their relatives reach there at the earliest," Swaraj tweeted.
Hurricane Harvey, has been the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years. US authorities said that the region has witnessed a year's worth of rain in just one week. Two persons have died in the resulting floods.
The locals in Houston and other areas of Texas have been asked not to leave their flooded homes as the roads are deep under water and completely impassable.
Meanwhile, the Indian community is reaching out to the victims of the hurricane to help them. "They have declared mandatory evacuation for people in new territory. We have no clue how to get out of here, with most of the roads blocked," a Facebook post read.
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