KATHMANDU: At least 290 Indians are reportedly missing after deadly flash floods devastated areas along Nepal’s border with Tibet, leaving families searching for information about pilgrims travelling towards Mount Kailash.
Among those missing is 43-year-old Subhrasree Chakraborty, a medical technologist from Kolkata who was travelling with a group of around 30 pilgrims.
Her husband, Sudipto Bhattacharya, received her final message at 7:57am on Wednesday after she cleared Nepalese immigration. She told him the group was waiting to enter China. However, communication stopped minutes later.
The floods have caused widespread devastation across the Himalayan border region, with the reported death toll reaching 475. Nepal’s official list also names hundreds of people as missing.
Families Lose Contact Near Chinese Border
Subhrasree had travelled from Kolkata through Raxaul, Birgunj and Kathmandu before reaching Syabrubesi. Despite encountering a landslide during the journey, she told her husband that weather conditions appeared relatively good.
After clearing Nepalese immigration, pilgrims normally walk towards the Chinese immigration facility in Gyirong.
Consequently, Bhattacharya believes his wife may have reached Chinese territory before the floods struck, although authorities have provided no confirmation.
Another pilgrim, 54-year-old Kolkata tutor Rina Banerjee, also disappeared after reportedly completing Nepalese immigration procedures.
Relatives Seek Lists of Rescued and Missing Pilgrims
Meanwhile, Rina’s family remains uncertain whether she crossed into China before communications failed.
Both women appear on Nepal’s official list of 537 missing people, according to the report. Their tour operator has also said it has no information about their whereabouts.
Furthermore, Bhattacharya has appealed for Chinese authorities to provide lists identifying rescued, missing and deceased pilgrims.
For the families, uncertainty over which side of the border their relatives reached remains particularly distressing.
As rescue and recovery operations continue, relatives are waiting for confirmation about whether the missing pilgrims survived the disaster or reached safety across the border.
