Desperate, Nepalis search for lost kin

Desperate, Nepalis search for lost kin

DEHRADUN, JUN 25 -

Relatives of Nepali pilgrims missing in the Uttarakhand flooding in India have flocked to places like Dehradun, Haridwar and Rishikesh in search of their lost kin.

At least 300 Nepalis are missing in the June 16 flood and landslides that struck India’s northern state, which is home to four famous Hindu pilgrimage sites of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

Pranil Thapa of Kathmandu has arrived in Rishikesh, searching for his 59-year-old mother, Tara. He stood outside the Rescue Coordination Centre until late Monday evening, scanning the crowd intently, hoping if his mother would show up.

His mother was part of a 14-member team of pilgrims that had left for Uttarakhand on June 5. Only seven members from the team returned home last week. The whereabouts of the remaining seven, including his mother, are unknown. “The last I talked with her was on June 16. The same night, the Dharmashala she was lodged in was hit by the flood. I have not given up hope yet,” said Pranil.

Bimala Pandey of Kapilvastu, who had gone to Kedarnath with her 63-year-old husband Ashutosh Kumar, was alone when she returned home.

Their son, Alok Kumar, said he lost communication with his parents in the wake of the flooding. “Mother arrived home safely, but there is no information about my father. They must have got separated somewhere on their way back,” he said.

Alok Kumar has sent pictures and information of his father to the Uttarakhand State Emergency and Operation Centre and the security agencies involved in the search and rescue.

Nirajan Poudel, who is in Rishikesh in search of his 63-year-old mother, Ramkala, said the two communicated two days before the flooding.

“She and some others had completed the tour of Haridwar and Rishikesh and headed towards the upper region. That’s the only thing I know of her whereabouts,” Poudel said.  

“At this point of time, there is very little chance that we will find the missing ones safe and sound,” said Suryabikram Shahi, chairman of the Dehradun-based Gorkha Democratic Front.

As of now, 12 Nepali pilgrims have been confirmed dead in the flood.