Indian Families Seek Help as Loved Ones Go Missing in Nepal Floods

New Delhi, August 28: Indian nationals residing in the United States, the UK, and Canada have gone missing in Nepal following devastating floods. They were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. Families of the missing individuals have appealed to the governments of both countries for assistance.

A family from Surat, Gujarat, lost contact with their son, daughter, and son-in-law, who were traveling to Mount Kailash. Their mother, Sushila Patel, shared, “My son, daughter-in-law, and daughter went to Nepal on August 23 and were supposed to leave for Kailash on the 25th. In our last conversation, they informed me that their immigration was complete, and they would not be able to talk to me afterward as they were entering China. Since hearing about this tragedy, we have been calling people to find out about them. My son-in-law lives in Mumbai, and he has also reported that he cannot reach them.”

The family has requested any information regarding their missing members from the government.

Meena Gupta, daughter of Chhattisgarh BJP leader Karta Ram Gupta, is a doctor in the UK and was part of a group of 77 members from the Isha Foundation. Reports indicate she went missing while returning from Mount Kailash. Her brother-in-law stated, “We had a video call during their ‘darshan’ at Mount Kailash. She last spoke to her father on August 25.”

The family indicated that she was at the immigration office when the disaster struck. Her sister, Mamta Mittal, urged Indian and Nepali authorities to provide any possible information as soon as possible.

Swati Bagrecha from Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, was also part of the Isha Foundation group and went missing after the floods near the China-Tibet border during the Kailash pilgrimage. Her brother, Dr. Prashant Bagrecha, shared, “She arrived in India from Canada on August 8 and then traveled to Mount Kailash via Nepal. She reached the immigration office around 9 AM, and the group reported that they last had contact with her at 9:05 AM before the sudden floods.”

He mentioned that they have spoken to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and everyone is trying to assist in their own way.

In a similar case, Sandeep Kumar Garai from Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal, has also been unreachable since Wednesday morning due to the catastrophic floods. His wife, Tithi Garai, expressed her distress, stating that she has received no information from the administration regarding her husband.

She lamented, “The administration has not helped me so far. I have no news. What is the administration doing? I filed a report at the police station and the SDO office, but they have not provided any assistance yet. I received a call from Bardhaman police station, but they only said they need documents, while we have not received any updates.”

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