uncertainty continues for the family of Rakesh Naik, a 45-year-old software engineer from Dharwad who has been out of contact since the evening of Aug 25 While the Rattihalli families have found relief.
For Shivanagouda Chillur and his family from north Karnataka, the six-hour drive from Pokhara to Muktinath temple on Aug 25 was smooth and dry. If we had been delayed by even 12 hours, we might have been washed away,” Gulappanavar said. Dharwad techie missing While the Rattihalli families have found relief, uncertainty continues for the family of Rakesh Naik, a 45-year-old software engineer from Dharwad who has been out of contact since the evening of Aug 25. His father Shivaprakash Naik, a retired railway officer living in Shivagiri, Dharwad, said the family was told the entire 71-member team was safe, even as they awaited word directly from Rakesh.
We hope Rakesh will get in touch soon,” he said. It was the return leg, hours later, that would haunt them. Fellow traveller SB Gulappanavar described Wednesday as a day spent in panic, unsure whether the group would make it home safely. Rescue teams were working through the night in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, where several people, including locals, remained stranded. “Union minister Pralhad Joshi assured us that efforts are being made to establish contact with the pilgrims.
“We were lucky to have crossed the disaster areas one day earlier.