32 people from Kolkata are missing while travelling in Nepal. They had gone to visit Manasarovar in a group with a travel agency. The group was to cross over the border with Tibet on Wednesday morning. But since the Harappa Ban disaster, they have not been contacted. No one has been found yet.
The missing group included 30 tourists and two employees of the travel agency that had arranged the journey. One of the tourists had travelled all the way from the United States for the Manasarovar pilgrimage, although he is an Indian citizen.
The group left Kolkata on August 21 and reached Nepal the following day. Until Tuesday, the tourists were in Kathmandu and had sent photographs and videos to the travel agency from there.
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They were scheduled to cross the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday morning. By around 8.30 am, the group had reportedly reached the immigration office. After that, neither the tourists nor the group members contacted the travel agency again.
The travel agency said an international organisation was handling arrangements for the Manasarovar expedition. After news of the disaster emerged, efforts were made to reach the affected area by helicopter.
However, the helicopter could not land at the site. The agency has since contacted Nepal Tourism authorities as well as the Indian embassy in Nepal.
How can you contact the authorities following the Nepal disaster?
On Wednesday morning, a sudden flash flood hit the Bhote Koshi River area of Nepal’s Rasuwa district, ravaging settlements, roads and bridges near the Nepal-Tibet border.
Following the massive Nepal disaster, helplines were opened to help families in West Bengal seeking information. A helpline has been launched at the state police headquarters, Bhawani Bhavan, on the instructions of Chief Minister Subhendu Adhikari.
Affected people or their family members can contact the state government’s helpline numbers: 033-24793311 and 9147890181.
Kolkata Police has also opened a helpline; seekers can call on 18003455678 or contact WhatsApp at 9874902880.
The Indian Embassy in Nepal can be contacted at +977-9851316807 and +977-9709107500.
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They had gone to visit Manasarovar in a group with a travel agency. The group was to cross over the border with Tibet on Wednesday morning. But since the Harappa Ban disaster, they have not been contacted. No one has been found yet. The DG Control number is 9174890145, while the Bhawani Bhavan control room can be reached at 033-24794044 and 9147890146.
Notably, another tourist group from Hooghly is stuck in Nepal. A bus carrying 65 tourists from Arambagh is currently at Chetan Park, around 120 kilometres from the main disaster-hit area.
The group had left for Nepal on August 24. The tourists could not be contacted since Wednesday morning. They were later contacted, and all 65 tourists are reportedly safe.
How serious is the Nepal disaster?
The Nepal Tourism Board has reported hundreds of travellers missing from the affected area. A preliminary list put the number of missing travellers at 384, including 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepali nationals. Indian nationals form the largest group among the foreign travellers on that list.
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Damaged infrastructure and challenging conditions in the affected area have also posed a challenge to search and rescue efforts.
India has also stepped up efforts to assist Nepal and track Indian nationals who may have been affected.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has been coordinating with the Nepalese authorities over rescue and relief operations.