Durgapur, 27 August (H.S.): A couple from Bamunara in Durgapur, Arindam and Mousumi Gangopadhyay, have reportedly gone missing while travelling to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar via Nepal. Their family and neighbours said they have been unable to contact the couple since a sudden flood disaster struck parts of Nepal.

Repeated attempts were made to contact them over the phone, but there has been no information about their whereabouts. According to the family, police visited the Gangopadhyay residence on Wednesday night and spoke to family members and neighbours. The police asked them to immediately inform the authorities if they receive any communication from the couple.

Neighbour Gautam Adhikari said Mousumi and Arindam had left for the Mansarovar pilgrimage through Nepal with a travel agency. The couple had spoken to their family over the phone around two days ago. However, after the disaster on Wednesday, repeated attempts to contact them were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, Tarakeswar resident Snehasish Dutta is also reportedly stranded in Nepal. He had embarked on the Mansarovar pilgrimage as part of a 32-member tourist group. The group left on August 21 and reached Kathmandu on August 22. From there, they planned to enter China through Nepal and proceed towards Mansarovar.

According to Snehasish’s family, they spoke to him over the phone on Wednesday, when he said that the group was near the Nepal-China border. However, contact with him was lost following the sudden flooding.

The other 30 members of Snehasish’s group are reportedly residents of Kolkata, while another member is tour manager Jayanta Sanyal.

The sudden flash floods on Wednesday morning caused extensive destruction in parts of Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. According to Nepal Police, 162 bodies had been recovered by Thursday morning, while a large number of people remained missing. The number of missing persons has reportedly risen to around 598, including at least 133 Indian nationals, according to government sources.

The West Bengal government has issued helpline numbers 033-2479 3311 and 9147890181 to assist people stranded in Nepal and their families.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey