A call, then silence: Indians missing after Nepal floods, families wait in fear

The catastrophic Nepal-Tibet flash floods and the subsequent destruction have left a trail of fear far beyond the disaster zone, with at least 290 Indians reported missing and families desperately waiting for news of their loved ones.As of Friday, the death toll from the devastating deluge had climbed to 392, while 1,468 people remained missing on both sides of the border. As a newly-formed barrier lake also threatened to unleash another surge downstream, India was racing to trace the missing 290 nationals.From a mother and son from Uttar Pradesh to an elderly woman travelling alone for her long-awaited Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, an NRI couple who left their infant son behind in India, and families from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal — the stories emerging from Nepal are bound by the same agonising uncertainty: phones that no longer connect and loved ones whose whereabouts remain unknown.FAMILY IN BALLIA WAITSIn Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, a family is desperately searching for Usha Chaurasia and her son Rahul, who were living in Trishuli Bazaar, Nepal. Trishuli Bazaar is situated in Nuwakot district, one of the hardest hit by the monster deluge.Usha's husband, Pannalal, and his brother Ashok have lived in the neighbouring nation and ran their business there for nearly two decades. Their family in Ballia lost contact with them after the disaster struck. Diksha Chaurasia is now left staring at photographs of her elder mother and brother on her phone and praying that they are safe."I spoke to my father at around 9 am on August 26 when he warned that a flood was imminent. The call was then disconnected. Repeated attempts to reach him failed," an emotional Diksha told Aaj Tak, India Today's sister channel.Later, through an international call, Diksha learnt that Usha and Rahul were missing.The family's house and shop had been destroyed and the land around them was reportedly completely levelled.Diksha has appealed to the government to provide immediate assistance to Indians stranded or missing in Nepal.FOUR FROM BHOPAL MISSINGIn Bhopal, Devika Adhikari is facing an agonising wait for news of four members of her family — her elder brother, younger brother and two sisters-in-law.The family last spoke to them at around 9.30 am on the day of the disaster. Almost two days later, there was still no contact.Devika became emotional while speaking about the ordeal."In our last conversation, my elder brother told us that everyone's lives were in danger and that they had hidden in the mountains. He also asked us to take care of the children," she told India Today.With every passing hour, the anxiety among their relatives and the Nepali community in Bhopal is mounting.The Madhya Pradesh government has issued helpline number 011-26772005 and WhatsApp number 9818963273 for people stranded in Nepal and their families.THEY LEFT THEIR INFANT SON BEHINDIn Gujarat's Anand, the disappearance of an NRI couple has left a family desperately waiting for a phone call.Vimal Patel and his wife Jaimina, who live in the US, had come to Anand with their infant son for a holiday. After spending time with their family, they travelled to Nepal on August 16. The NRI couple from Anand missing in Nepal. They left their young son with Vimal's elder brother in Anand. The couple had planned to travel onwards to Kailash Mansarovar after their Nepal trip.On the day the disaster struck, they had gone to the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu to obtain visas for the pilgrimage. Their family says the embassy was in an area badly affected by the floods.They last spoke to their family on Sunday. Since then, both phones have been switched off and there has been no trace of the couple.Back home, their family is praying for their safety.And amid the fear, there is another heartbreaking detail: their infant son remains at home, unaware that his parents have disappeared amid the disaster.THREE FROM SURAT UNTRACEABLEIn Surat, three people travelling to Kailash Mansarovar have also been reported missing.They include Pareshbhai Natwarlal Patel and his wife Jyotiben, who are residents of the US; and Meenakshiben Ramani, originally from Mumbai.The Gujarat State Emergency Operations Centre received information about their disappearance from their acquaintance, Geetaben Patel.A senior officer in Surat's Disaster Management Department, confirmed that the administration was trying to establish contact with the missing passengers and the tour operator.Their details have been sent to the Nepal Control Room and Surat Police Control Room.HIS NAME IS ON THE MISSING PERSONS' LISTIn Nagpur, Sunil Subhedar, who had travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, is also among those whose names have appeared on the list of missing persons released by the Nepal government.Subhedar had been living with his son in Dombivali, Mumbai, after his wife's death. His Nagpur flat is now locked.His two children live in Mumbai and the US, leaving the family waiting for news of their father.BENGAL COUPLE DISAPPEAR EN ROUTE TO KAILASHIn West Bengal's Durgapur, Mousumi and Arindam Gangopadhyay have been out of contact since the disaster.The couple left on August 21 with a travel group for the Kailash Mansarovar trip. Their route was to take them through Nepal before they continued towards the pilgrimage site.Neighbours said they had been in touch with their daughter until the previous night. After that, attempts to contact them failed.Their neighbour Gautam Adhikari said he called Arindam on Monday."The phone rang, but there was no response. At first, we believed the communication failure could have been caused by poor network connectivity in the remote region. But after reports of the devastation emerged, all we can do now is to pray," he said.Another neighbour, Anup Banerjee, said he repeatedly tried reaching the couple through phone and WhatsApp but received no response.The couple was expected to travel through Syabrubesi before proceeding towards Kailash. Their onward journey was reportedly scheduled for Wednesday, the day of the disaster.Police have visited their home and gathered details of their travel plans and route. There is still no confirmed information about their whereabouts.Their family and neighbours are now holding on to the hope that they may simply be stranded because of the destruction of communication and other infrastructure.ELDERLY WOMAN MISSING NEAR NEPAL-TIBET BORDERIn Howrah, the family of 68-year-old Anita Das is desperately waiting for her return.Anita had left alone for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra on August 21. It was a journey she had long dreamed of undertaking.Her family last spoke to her at around 8 am on Wednesday when she told them she was near the Nepal-Tibet border and would be leaving shortly.Then the calls stopped.Her phone became unreachable after the family learnt of the devastating floods. They contacted the travel agency, which said it was also trying to establish contact but had received no concrete information.For now, Anita's family remains in constant touch with the authorities, waiting for the one call that could end their agonising uncertainty.- EndsPublished By: Karishma Saurabh KalitaPublished On: Aug 28, 2026 07:43 IST