Mumbai pilgrims remain untraceable after Nepal floods

Anxiety is mounting for families in Mumbai as a 61-member Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage group led by doctor-mountaineer Milind Chitley remains untraceable after the flash floods devastated the Nepal-Tibet border region.

The group, led by Dr Chitley and his wife Janhavi, had departed Mumbai on August 23 for Kathmandu and was last heard from on August 25 evening, hours before high-altitude torrents destroyed key immigration infrastructure on the morning of August 26. Dr Chitley’s brother-in-law Sandeep Padhye said, “We were in touch with my sister till August 25, but the messages sent on August 26 remain unread.” It is still unclear whether the group crossed into China before or during the floods, he said. As per the itinerary, the group was to drive from Timure to the China border in the early hours of August 26 and reach Mansarovar on Saturday. “We haven’t got any information from the authorities. An official of the Hills and Trails, a travel company founded by Dr Chitley, has travelled to Nepal to check. Till then, we are keeping our fingers crossed. We have to accept whatever the situation is,” he said. The group was to return to Mumbai on September 6 after completing their Kailash Parikrama on September 2. Dr Chitley, who founded Hills and Trails and has led treks to the Himalayas for nearly three decades, had posted a notice outside his clinic, stating it would remain closed until September 6.

The missing group also includes Dr Anand Deshpande, a consultant in Transfusion Medicine at PD Hinduja Hospital, and his wife Dr Gayatri Deshpande, head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Nanavati Max Hospital.

As per media reports, the doctor couple’s last known phone location was logged at 8.28 am IST near Gyirong Port along the border.

Relatives of Mumbai resident Satish Patankar, who was also travelling in the region, have approached State authorities to help trace their location.

His brother Sanjay told reporters that he had reached Kathmandu on August 23 and spent the following day getting acclimatised and sightseeing before leaving for Timure, a post on the Nepal-Tibet border, on August 25.

“Satish messaged me on the evening of August 25 that his group had reached Timure and was scheduled to cross the border the following day. The group comprised around 27 people,” he said.

He was expected to complete immigration formalities at the border on August 26, Sanjay said, adding that the family believed the group could have still been at the immigration centre when the disaster struck and that the facility was probably completely washed away in the floods.

He said the family was trying to ascertain the whereabouts of the group amid the devastation caused by the disaster.

For another Mumbai family, the wait for news has proved equally agonising, with Goregaon resident Rahul Desai saying that his 67-year-old father-in-law Avnish Merchant and four friends are among those missing.

“They left for Kathmandu on August 23 for the Kailash Parikrama through Richa Tours, whose India partner is Hills and Trails. His last message came on August 26 at 7 am saying they were leaving for the border,” Desai said.

“Around 8.30 am, we found the last location from the iWatch of his friend, which indicated that their final position was the checkpost bridge,” Desai added.

He said the family was tracking all official channels for an update, while emphasising the need for a centralised information system.

“It is a difficult situation. It would be better if there is a single-window facility to get information about casualties. There needs to be a structure so that families need not run from pillar to post,” Desai said.

There is a missing list, but there should also be a rescue and fatality list for the distraught family members, he added.