HYDERABAD: As many as 26 people from Telangana remain untraced in Nepal, days after the devastating flash flood that hit the region. Five are from Hyderabad, while 21 are Telangana-origin NRIs based in the city. One traveller with roots in the state was confirmed safe on Saturday.
The five Hyderabad residents reported missing are Arushi Gupta, Dhanpal Reddy, Sridhar Avvari, Deepthi Avvari and Abhinav Avvari. Alli Ilesha, who was reported missing, was found safe and is undergoing treatment, state government authorities said.
Several people of Indian origin who are citizens or permanent residents of the US, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the UK and Germany had travelled to the region for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through private tour operators. Communication links were disrupted by the floods, leaving many families with little information about their relatives.
Among those still unaccounted for are 44-year-old Kandimalla Suhasini Reddy, a New Zealand citizen from Hyderabad, and 49-year-old Vandana Chand, a US citizen originally from Hyderabad. Suhasini was travelling with a private Kailash Journeys group, while Vandana was part of an Isha Foundation pilgrimage contingent of 79 members.
Retired prof among those missing
Another couple reported missing is 67-year-old Hanumantha Rao Unnava and his 63-year-old wife, Vasundhara Unnava. Hanumantha Rao is a former dean and professor at the University of California, Davis Graduate School of Management. Their family said their last known location was Hotel Kailash at Timure, near the Rasuwa Gadhi border.
The state government has been coordinating efforts to trace people from the state and Telangana-origin NRIs. Officials at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi said 26 people had initially been identified for follow-up, including 21 NRIs. Authorities said they had received around 120 calls regarding people affected by the floods as of Saturday.