Message at 9.05 am, flood at 9.14: Search for Indians missing in Nepal

On Thursday morning, a flash flood struck a crucial border crossing between Nepal and Tibet, leaving scores of Indian tourists missing. The Tehelka report states that the disaster affected pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, an Australia-based couple from Odisha, footballers and their coach, and a group from the Isha Foundation. The group of 57 Tamil Nadu travelers, traveling with a 57-member group, was among those yet to be confirmed as safe or missing.

The survivors reported that emergency helpline numbers provided by the tour operator were not responding. The Isha Foundation's 80-member group, returning from the Kailash Manasarovar pilgrimage, lost contact with one of its members at 9.14 am after reaching an immigration building that was washed away by the flood. Odisha's Sandeep Mohapatra and his wife Siddharthi Kumari Sahu, who had been staying in Australia for the past eight years, were among the missing.

The couple had reached Nepal on August 22 and their last location was near the immigration centre when the flood struck. Andhra Pradesh identified seven residents as missing, with four of them confirmed to be safe. The Andhra Pradesh government is closely monitoring the cases of all seven residents and has issued an advisory for stranded persons to maintain contact with the embassy.