Search and rescue efforts continue after the devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border
Mumbai: Around 60 of the 106 Maharashtra tourists stranded in Nepal are expected to reach Mumbai on Tuesday morning, with the remaining 46 likely to return on Wednesday, state government authorities said on Monday, offering some relief to families anxiously awaiting the safe return of their relatives after the devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border. Adding to the return movement, 69 Maharashtra citizens who had been stranded on the China side of the Nepal-Tibet route crossed into Nepal through the China-Nepal border and were scheduled to reach Mumbai on Monday, according to a report published by TOI. Separately, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam said on Monday that the party had facilitated the return of 48 Maharashtra tourists stranded in Nepal. The remaining 11 were students from Peth taluka in Nashik district. In another major relief for Maharashtra families, 102 Nagpur tourists stranded in Nepal have returned home, according to reports from Nagpur. However, an elderly Nagpur couple, Satish Patankar, 68, and his wife Rekha, 64, continue to be missing.
Their last confirmed sighting was at the Gyirong Immigration Facility, according to family members and officials.
The rescue team, led by Shiv Sena youth leader Rahul Kanal, has been operating in Nepal for the past four days, he said. The team established contact with them through social media, arranged food and medicines and facilitated their return to Nashik, Nirupam said. The Shiv Sena team is also attempting to establish contact with the untraceable Maharashtra pilgrims, he said.
The continuing uncertainty has left families closely monitoring every official update from the Maharashtra government, Ministry of External Affairs and rescue agencies.