Families travel to Nepal in search of kin as flood toll rises
Hyderabad: With the death toll in Nepal’s floods crossing 700, families of those still missing are now making their way to the disaster-hit country, desperate to find their loved ones and seek answers after days of uncertainty. No. of People missing from T goes up to 27 As of Sunday, 27 people from Telangana, including NRIs, remained unaccounted for, with their families unable to establish contact with them since the floods struck. 31 travellers from the Kailash Group, 12 from the Richa Group and 52 from Himalayan Glacier were reportedly missing from the affected area, according to official figures released by the Nepal Tourism Board. Separately, 77 members of the Isha Foundation were at the immigration centre when the floods struck. Officials manning the helpline at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi said they had been unable to establish contact with 27 travellers from Telangana, including two who were added to the list on Sunday.
Because of communication disruptions, from Telangana too, several families are travelling to Nepal, clinging to the hope that their loved ones are safe somewhere and simply unreachable. We are slowly coming to terms with the fact that we might have lost her in the floods,” said Rajani, sister-in-law of Geetha, adding that their relatives had now left for Nepal to look for her. The board said the nationalities of most of these travellers were yet to be confirmed. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Hyderabad | Silver Rate in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad | Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Petrol Price in Hyderabad | Diesel Price in Hyderabad | CNG Price in Hyderabad | LPG Price in Hyderabad Stay updated with the latest Hyderabad news.
Others said travel agents and officials had asked them to travel to Nepal to help identify bodies. Even a team from New Zealand, where Suhasini is a citizen, is there,” said Ramesh Reddy K, Suhasini’s uncle. At the time of the calamity, at least four groups — including Isha Foundation, Kailash Journey and Richa Tours and Travels, which have several travellers from the Telugu states — were near the immigration centre, and the whereabouts of these travellers remain unknown, according to sources.
Predictably, hope is slowly giving way to fear for the kin of Geetha Vachan Adinarayana Reddy, a UK citizen with roots in Hyderabad. “We are all in shock. “We have barely got any information about Suhasini since the floods. We are all very worried. He added that local officials had asked them to come to Nepal. The travellers remain untraceable. Download the TOI App.
Speaking to TOI on Sunday, a relative said that while the family was still praying she was safe, they were gradually preparing themselves for the grim reality. Her brother, sister-in-law and a friend are travelling to Kathmandu on Sunday.
Geetha, was travelling with Himalayan Glacier for the Kailash Mansarovar yatra along with 40 others, according to the family. She last spoke to her husband and daughters –aged 14 and 12, at around 8.30am on Aug 26, barely 30 minutes before the floods hit the area where she was staying. The last known location of the 43-year-old British national was Kailash, Timure, near the Nepal-China immigration centre.
“After that, there has been no communication either from Geetha or any of her group members. She was staying at Kailash Hotel, which is near the immigration centre, and the hotel has been completely damaged. We are hoping Geetha has somehow survived and is just unable to contact us. But the fact remains that she was near the immigration centre and her passport is still with the agent,” she added. Similarly, family members of Suhasini Reddy Kandimalla, an Australia-based techie with roots in the city, have also travelled to Nepal, unwilling to give up hope just yet.