Silambarasan sends prayers as Nepal flood toll mounts

Silambarasan TR has posted a message on the flash floods that tore through Nepal’s Rasuwa district on Tuesday, a disaster whose toll is still being counted. “Heartbreaking to see the devastation caused by the floods in Nepal. My prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones, everyone affected, and all those still waiting to be rescued. Praying for their safety and strength,” he wrote on X.

What makes this flood particularly cruel is that nobody saw it coming. There was no rainfall in the area before the water arrived. An avalanche blocked the Lhende tributary of the Bhote Koshi river, and when the dammed-up water broke through, it came down the valley as a wall, hitting Timure near the Rasuwagadhi border crossing while residents were going about their morning routines. Buildings, vehicles and bridges were swept away in minutes.

Early counts put the dead at more than 150, with figures climbing as rescue teams reach cut-off settlements; some estimates run past 200 dead with over a thousand unaccounted for. Close to 400 tourists are reported missing along with dozens of security personnel, and there is specific concern for more than 100 Indians who were in the region when the flood struck, including a group of travellers and pilgrims from Tamil Nadu.

Silambarasan’s post joins a stream of messages from Indian film personalities as the scale of the disaster becomes clear. He is currently in Chennai shooting Arasan, the Vetrimaaran film that is chasing a Diwali release with music by Anirudh Ravichander; the composer dropped in on the set earlier this month. That shoot continues while rescue operations across the border enter their second day.