Over 60 Maharashtra Kailash-Mansarovar Pilgrims Untraceable in Nepal Floods
· India · Indian Express, New York Times, NDTV
More than 60 Maharashtrians who joined the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra through Mumbai-based tour operator Hills and Trails remain untraceable after flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, with rescue operations in their third day. Thane-based couple Aparna and Sameer Joshi, both services-sector workers on their first trip to Nepal, last contacted family on August 26 via a 7.30 am WhatsApp photo before communication stopped. The Maharashtra disaster management department confirmed 395 people from the state are stuck in Nepal, of whom 105 are returning while 290 are contacted and safe but stranded. Thane retired IT consultants Rekha and Satish Patankar are also missing after their August immigration clearance at the border. Families have received calls from the office of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the tour operator, but none have provided clarity on the missing pilgrims.
Why it matters
Dozens of families in Maharashtra are waiting for confirmed information on loved ones, and the episode highlights the safety risks of pilgrimage routes through flood-prone Himalayan border regions during the monsoon.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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