Nepal: Pilgrims missing after flash flood in Bhotekoshi River

Dehradun, Aug 29 (IANS) The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) in Dehradun has received multiple distress calls regarding people missing after a flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Nepal on August 26. The information, compiled late on August 28, has been shared with the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi.

According to the SEOC report, several callers informed the helpline that their relatives or acquaintances, many of whom were on the Kailash Mansarovar yatra, have been out of contact since the flood.

Panchal Dhami from Gharsula reported that his sister Meena Gupta, a US citizen linked to the Gyirong Immigration Centre or Usha Foundation in Nepal, is missing. Rahul Purohit from Mumbai said his two friends, Jignesh Merchant and Tejal Merchant, both US residents, had travelled towards Kailash Mansarovar via the Lhasa-Tibet route and remain untraceable.

Ankit Sharma from Haridwar informed that two relatives of his manager’s maternal uncle, Ramraman and N.R.S. Raman, residents of Mumbai, who were travelling through a Nepal-based tour operator, have not been reachable. Ravi Ranjan from Gharsula reported that Meena Kulkarni of Mumbai, sister of a manager, went missing near the Temur border in Nepal.

Nidhi Sharma from Gurgaon stated that her friend’s husband, Pankaj Nath, an IAS officer living in London, is missing in the flood-affected area. Additionally, information received through the Director General of Police, Uttarakhand, indicates that Mohit Kodiyal, a Canada resident who was on the Kailash Mansarovar yatra via the Nepal route, is also untraceable.

The SEOC has forwarded all details to the Ministry of Home Affairs and remains in continuous contact with the central authorities. Copies of the report have been sent to senior officials in the Uttarakhand government, district administrations, police and relevant central agencies for further action and coordination with Nepalese authorities.

Efforts are underway to locate the missing individuals and provide assistance to their families.

–IANS

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