Foreign Minister NP Saud urges Uttarakhand Chief Minister to search for missing Nepalis in landslide
KATHMANDU: Foreign Minister NP Saud has taken prompt action following the confirmation of 17 Nepalis missing in landslides triggered by heavy rains in Uttarakhand, India.
Minister Saud reached out to Chief Minister Pushpakar Singh Dhami, urging him to intensify efforts in searching for the missing individuals.
Reports from Indian media have revealed that 17 Nepali citizens, who had traveled to Gaurikund, Uttarakhand, for employment, went missing during a flash flood caused by continuous rainfall on Thursday night.
Today, Foreign Minister Saud personally contacted Chief Minister Dhami, stressing the importance of swift search and rescue operations for the missing Nepalis in the landslide at Gaurikund, Rudraprayag. Chief Minister Dhami assured Minister Saud that security personnel and other agencies have already been deployed since morning to search for the missing individuals.
On Friday, Minister Saud had directed the Nepali Embassy in Delhi to coordinate with the Indian government in the search and rescue efforts for the missing Nepalis.
According to Indian media reports, among those missing, seven are from Jumla, including Chandra Kami, his son Lal Bahadur Kami, Sukhra Rawat, and her son Zora Rawat. Ten others are from Humla, along with two Indian citizens.
One of the missing individuals, Bir Bahadur from Humla, was operating a hotel in Gaurikund, Uttarakhand, when the tragic incident occurred. His wife Sumitra, daughter Nisha, and son Hari Bahadur were also swept away in the landslide that engulfed the hotel.
Other missing individuals from Humla include Dharmaraj Budha and his son Man Bahadur Budha, Amar Bohra and his son Man Bahadur, as well as Prithvi, Complex, Lawyer, wife Anita, and their two daughters Radhika and Pinky, who were at the hotel for dinner at the time of the landslide.
Narayan Prasad Adhikari, spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs, assured that the government is in constant communication with the Indian authorities and local bodies in Uttarakhand to coordinate search and rescue operations for the missing Nepali citizens.
The District Administration Office in Kanchanpur is also actively engaged in the search efforts, maintaining close contact with the local administration in Gaurikund, Uttarakhand, in their endeavor to locate and rescue the missing individuals affected by the devastating landslide.
