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Ahmedabad resident Bhavin Raval, who travelled to Nepal from Australia for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, has been missing amid flash floods in the country, with his family unable to establish contact with him since Thursday morning.
Bhavin's elder brother Dhaval Raval said the family's last communication with him took place after he completed immigration formalities in Nepal and was preparing to proceed towards the Tibet border. Speaking to ANI, Dhaval said, "Regarding the incident in Nepal, my brother, Bhavin Raval, was there as part of his journey to Kailash Mansarovar. He departed from Nepal for the pilgrimage yesterday morning." "The previous evening, around 6:30-7:00 PM, I spoke with him while he was in Kathmandu. We talked about how he was doing, the overall situation, the weather, and the food arrangements," he said. Dhaval said his sister-in-law spoke to Bhavin the following morning, when he informed her that the Nepal immigration process had been completed and the group was proceeding towards Tibet immigration. "We were told the immigration window opens at 8 AM, so they were likely there between 7:30 and 8 AM. Since that time, we haven't been able to reach him," he said. The family has repeatedly tried calling and messaging Bhavin but has been unable to establish contact due to communication disruptions caused by the floods. "We've been attempting to call for a long period and have sent messages, but due to the flooding, telecommunication towers are down, and there has been no way to establish contact," Dhaval said. "Today also happens to be Bhavin Raval's birthday. We are trying to call, but there are network issues at the moment...It has been 22 hours, yet there has been no contact," he said. Bhavin was travelling with two close friends as part of a larger group of 26 people. The pilgrimage was organised by the travel agency 'Kailash Journey', Dhaval said, adding that the pilgrimage itself had not yet begun. Bhavin's wife, who is currently in Australia, has also informed the immigration authorities there. Meanwhile, Kolkata resident Sunit Bhattacharya said his mother, Sushmita Bhattacharya, who travelled to Nepal for a trip including a visit to Mansarovar, has also remained uncontactable for around 24 hours. "She left from Kolkata on the 21st. I last spoke to her on the 23rd," Sunit told ANI, adding that the travel agency informed him that the group had left their hotel for the Tibet border at around 6:30 AM. The latest figures from Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority put the death toll from the Bhotekoshi River flash floods at 258, while 910 people remain missing or out of contact. The disaster has also left 517 foreign nationals missing or out of contact. (ANI)
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