Gandhinagar: At least 23 people linked to Gujarat were listed as missing or uncontactable in the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) and district emergency centre records Friday, following devastating flash floods near Nepal’s border with Tibet, with several of them travelling on the Kailash Mansarovar route through Kerung.
The list — as of 12:54 p.m. — includes Indian-origin citizens of the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as residents of Gujarat and people based overseas.
One person initially reported uncontactable, Roma Intwala of Valsad, has since been confirmed safe in Nepal, according to the state records.
Among those on the list are Ahmedabad residents Kinnari Patel and Mihir Patel, who travelled August 23 with Richa Tours Pvt Ltd for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Kerung.
Their last contact was recorded at 4:51 a.m. August 26, and both remained untraceable.
From Anand, Bimalkumar Patel and Jaimina Patel, who travelled on August 16 through Namaste Nepal Trekking and Research Hub, were also listed as not found. Both are described as US citizens of Indian origin.
Another case concerns Ashok Kapadi from Ahmedabad who was travelling with Samrat Tours and Travels for the Kailash Mansarovar route. He was last contacted at around 8:30 a.m. August 26, when he was reportedly about to reach the China border immigration centre.
The list also includes Rajkot-based Jay Kotecha, whose case was reported missing at the SEOC, and so are Paresh Patel, Jyoti Patel and Minaxi Ramani, all linked to Surat.
Paresh and Jyoti, who reside in the US, were travelling with Hills & Trills Tour, Mumbai, and were last contacted around 8:10 a.m. August 26.
Minaxi Ramani was also travelling on the Kailash Mansarovar route and is understood to reside in Mumbai. Dinesh Patel, an Amreli native and US citizen, was reported missing by a contact in Ahmedabad.
Umesh Patel, Akansha Patel and Ishan Patel, all linked to Kheda, were travelling from Delhi to Nepal by air. The records stated that no contact has been established with them after August 25.
Umesh and Akansha are Canadian citizens, while Ishan is an American citizen. Shilpa Patel, also linked to Kheda, was reported uncontactable by Mukti Patel.
She travelled August 26 from Delhi to Nepal by flight and is listed as a US citizen. Her residence was given as Dhramaj in Anand district.
From Gandhinagar, Bhavinkumar Raval was reported missing while travelling with Kailash Journeys via Kyirong. His last contact was recorded at around 5 a.m. August 27. He is an Australian citizen and is originally from Gandhinagar.
Three other Gandhinagar-linked cases involve Amita Amin, Tejal Patel and Jitendra Patel, all US citizens travelling for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nepal Trekking Planner. Their last known location was recorded as the Bagmati area near the Friendship Bridge.
The state records also include Chauhan Babulal, also known as Gomtibapu, from Jafrabad in Amreli. According to the information provided to authorities, he left Jafrabad for Ayodhya on August 10 and was due to travel to Nepal with a group.
His phone was reportedly unreachable from August 11. His record mentions travel through Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company. Two further cases from Anand concern Padma Patel and Jagdish Patel, both linked to Jalundh in Khambhat taluka.
Jagdish had travelled August 22 with Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The list also names Bina Parikh, who is based in Ahmedabad and has an overseas residence in Queens, New York.
She travelled August 21 with Trekking Planner Travel Agency. Her family told authorities that no contact had been established since August 24.
Poonam Thakkar, who travelled August 25 with Himalayan Glacier, was also reported uncontactable. She is recorded as holding US and Canadian citizenship.
The Valsad case involving Roma Intwala stands out from the others because authorities subsequently established that she was safe in Nepal. The state record says the Valsad Mamlatdar was informed of her safety.
The disaster struck the Rasuwa district near the Nepal-China border Wednesday, with the Rasuwagadhi crossing and surrounding areas among the worst affected.
The route is a major overland gateway for private Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimages, with travellers moving from Kathmandu through Rasuwa and Timure before crossing into Tibet through the Gyirong, or Kerung, border.
The flash floods swept away roads, bridges and other infrastructure along the route, leaving large numbers of travellers cut off from communication.
The Indian government has been monitoring the situation through the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
The Centre said there was no need for panic and that reports of missing Indian tourists are being followed up by the MEA and the embassy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Nepal PM Balendra Shah and conveyed his condolences over the loss of lives in the floods.
