Chennai: US-based 63-year-old doctor washed away in floods, wanted to meet his ailing mother

Chennai, Dec 7: As Chennai is struggling to limp back to normalcy, many harrowing stories are coming to the fore.

A 63-year-old retired doctor, Girijashankar, was washed away in flashfloods, when he had stepped out of his house to buy medicines for his ailing 90-year-old mother. The tragic incident happened in Nandanam area on Wednesday, Dec 2, the day when it was heavily raining.

Due to the lack of mobile connectivity, his family could not contact for two days and they had no clue where he was.

Two days after, on Friday, Dec 4, when the water started receding, his body was found inside the compound of his mother's building-- Balaji Apartments, TOI reported.

One of his bereaved family member said that Girijashankar must have tried to avoid being swept away but the water level was too high. His body was found wrapped around a scooter."

Ironically, Girijashankar had come to Chennai from Florida, US, along-with his wife Anita, on a 15-day vacation, to meet their relatives. The couple was staying at Almighty Apartment on Nandanam 11th Street.

Neighbours said that even they they had alerted him not to go outside, but he wanted to meet his mother, who was living with his elder brother, two streets away from their apartment.

One of his relative said, "on that day, his elder brother was not at home and their mother was not well, so, he thought to buy medicines for her and to be at his mother's side."

The frantic family members even searched for him in hospitals, but their efforts went in vain.

OneIndia News