Telugu actor Sarala Kumari feared missing in Sikkim floods, daughter seeks state government help

Veteran Telugu actor Sarala Kumari is said to have gone missing following the recent Sikkim floods. The actor was in Sikkim for a short with her friends.

Hyderabad:Recent heavy rainfall led to flash floods in the northeastern state of Sikkim. It is now learnt that Sarla Kumari, a veteran Telugu film industry actress, has gone missing after the flash floods. Nabita, Sarla's daughter who lives in America, has requested the Telangana government to trace her mother.

After being chosen as Miss Andhra Pradesh in 1983, Sarla Kumari started working in films. She has acted in films like Danaveerasurakarna and Sangharshan. On October 2, Sarala Kumari, a resident of Hyderabad's Hi-Tech City neighbourhood, went on a trip to Sikkim with her companions. She also told her daughter, who lives in America, about this trip.

They stayed in a local hotel there. However, Sarala Kumari has gone untraceable after the most recent flash floods. Her daughter is voicing concern due to the lack of information from the actor. "On October 3, I spoke to my mother for the last time. She did not provide any further information after that. I learnt about the floods in the news. Attempts to reach the army hotline were also unsuccessful," said her daughter Nabita.

She further begged the Telangana government to locate her mother. According to the state disaster management department's first estimations, at least six of the 22 recovered dead bodies belong to Indian army servicemen stationed in Sikkim who went missing after the flash flood.

As the recovery and rescue efforts intensify, more bodies might be found, a disaster management department official said. Four different hospitals—Malbazar, Maynaguri, Jalpaiguri Town in the Jalpaiguri district, and North Bengal Medical College & Hospital at Siliguri in the neighbouring Darjeeling district—have kept the bodies that have been recovered thus far.

"Many visitors are still trapped in various locations throughout Sikkim. An estimate puts the number at about 3,000. Fortunately, since Friday morning, the weather has started to improve, allowing the pace of relief and rescue activities to be quickened. By Saturday afternoon, we anticipate returning a sizable number of trapped visitors from that state," informed a representative of the state crisis management department.