Gujarat’s Nepal flood missing tally rises to 26, Australian national added
Gandhinagar, Aug 30 (IANS) The number of people linked to Gujarat reported missing or uncontactable after the flash floods in Nepal has risen to 26, with an Australian national from Ahmedabad added to the state emergency list in its latest update, officials said on Sunday.
The new entry is Arpan Kothari, a native of Sabarmati area in Ahmedabad and an Australian citizen, who was travelling with Kailash Journeys on a Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
According to the updated State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) record, Kothari was last seen on August 26 between around 7:20 and 8:30 a.m. at Timure in Nepal’s Rasuwa district.
The record states that Kothari was staying at a lodge in Timure with five other Australian pilgrims and staff of Kailash Journeys before preparing to cross at Rasuwagadhi, the Nepal-Tibet border point.
The flash flood occurred at around 8:30 to 9 a.m., according to the information recorded by the authorities.
The record also provides a physical description to aid identification, including that Kothari is about 182 cm tall, medium-built, bald, with dark brown eyes, a trimmed beard and moustache and dark rectangular spectacles.
He was last known to be wearing a black or dark blue polo shirt, beige or tan cap, an orange/yellow tilak and multiple rudraksha necklaces.
The updated list includes people from Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Gandhinagar and Amreli, with several identified as foreign citizens or Indian-origin residents overseas.
Many were travelling towards the Kailash Mansarovar route through Kerung, Kyirong or the Rasuwa border corridor. The list also records cases where contact has been lost for 24 to 48 hours.
Roma Intwala, however, is noted as safe in Nepal, while Chauhan Kamtaprasad, known as Gomtibapu, was reported safe at a local ashram in Janakpur.
The latest update comes as rescue and recovery operations continue in Nepal following the flash floods in the Rasuwa region.
Reports on Sunday said that hundreds had died and thousands remained missing, while difficult terrain and damaged infrastructure continued to hamper rescue efforts.
–IANS
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