Kolkata, August 27: The West Bengal government has officially confirmed that 36 individuals are missing following devastating flash floods in Nepal. The state is coordinating with the Indian Embassy and Nepalese authorities to locate the missing persons.
According to government reports, the missing tourists hail from various regions in West Bengal, including Kolkata, Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas, Basirhat in North 24 Parganas, Durgapur in West Bardhaman, Tarakeswar in Hooghly, and Siliguri in Darjeeling district.
Earlier, conflicting reports emerged regarding the number of missing individuals. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stated that the government is verifying the accurate count of those missing and affected.
In his statement, the Chief Minister said, “The West Bengal government is in active coordination with the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and relevant administrative officials. We are verifying the exact number of missing and affected individuals from West Bengal. Information about those stranded is being collected and monitored in real-time to expedite relief and rescue operations.”
He also announced the establishment of a dedicated control room at the West Bengal Police headquarters in Bhawanipur, South Kolkata, where two special helpline numbers have been issued.
Sources indicate that most of the 36 missing individuals are members of a pilgrimage group that traveled to Nepal through a Kolkata-based tour operator. This group includes two employees from the tour agency.
Divyajyoti Basu, founder of the Kolkata-based tour operator ‘Chalo Jai,’ mentioned that communication with the entire group has been lost since Wednesday.
Meanwhile, many relatives of the missing tourists have begun arriving in Kathmandu to gather information about their loved ones.
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