Key facts
- At least 290 Indian pilgrims are missing after flash floods hit the Nepal-Tibet border.
- The missing individuals were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.
- Communications ceased for the group after they cleared Nepal immigration.
- Families are awaiting information on the status of the missing pilgrims from Chinese and Nepalese authorities.
- The tour operator has not yet confirmed the fate of the group.
Communications ceased for a group of Indian pilgrims, including Subhrasree Chakraborty and Rina Banerjee, after they completed immigration procedures at the Nepal border and were about to cross into Tibet for a long-awaited pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. Deadly flash floods subsequently struck the region, leaving at least 290 Indians unaccounted for.
Chakraborty's husband, Sudipto Bhattacharya, received her last message at 07:57 local time on Wednesday, stating they were waiting to enter China. Six minutes later, all communication stopped. Chakraborty, a medical technologist, was part of a group of about 30 people on the pilgrimage, a journey she had dreamed of for years.
Her husband described her excitement for the trip, which began on August 21. After traveling from Kolkata to Kathmandu, the group encountered a landslide on August 25, delaying their journey to Syabrubesi. Despite the delay, Chakraborty reported good weather to her husband.
The following morning, August 26, after completing Nepal immigration, the group was set to cross into China. Bhattacharya believes his wife may have been near the Chinese immigration building when the disaster struck. He has received no confirmation of who made it across or their status.
Similarly, the family of Rina Banerjee, another pilgrim from Kolkata, lost contact after she sent a photograph from outside the Nepal immigration center. Her nephew, Dwaipayan Mukherjee, is uncertain whether Banerjee was on the Chinese or Nepalese side of the border when communication was lost. Both women were experienced travelers and had long desired to undertake this pilgrimage.
Their names are on Nepal's list of 537 missing people, but their families remain without clarity on their whereabouts or safety. The Kolkata-based tour operator has stated they have no information regarding the group's fate.