Nepal tragedy: Four from UP's Kushinagar untraceable; 11-year-old scours riverbanks for missing father
Four men from the Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh who were working at power projects in Nepal's Rasuwa district have been untraceable since the devastating flash floods of August 26, their families said on Sunday.
On Saturday, 34-year-old Karan Sharma, a resident of Kushinagar, a foreman working at a hydropower project in Nepal's Rasuwa was reported missing.
Two more Kushinagar residents, Arun Kumar Singh and Ravindra Singh, have now been reported untraceable, while the family of another worker, Sunil, said they too are unable to contact him since the disaster.
In another image, 11-year-old Dharm Kumar from Bihar's Motihari is scouring the banks of the Gandak river here in search of his father Nandlal Sahni who ran a scrap shop in Nepal's Rasuwa.
Dharm and his three brothers managed to escape the ravenous floods and crossed into Kushinagar with the help of authorities. However, Nandlal has remained untraceable.
The boy is now searching for his father along the Gandak, which flows through Nepal as the Narayani.
Bodies carried downstream by the swollen river have reportedly reached parts of Kushinagar, causing distress among those inhabiting areas along the riverbank.
Among the four missing locals, Arun Kumar Singh, 32, a resident of Amdiaha village in Kaptanganj, was working as a store in-charge at a power project in Nepal's Trishuli area since 2024. His family last spoke to him around 6 am on August 26. Since then, his phone has been switched off.
His elder brother Anil Singh, who works in Madhya Pradesh, said, "My younger brother went to Nepal in May. He has been working there as a store in-charge since 2024."
Arun's wife Saumya Singh and their 10-month-old daughter are desperately awaiting his safe return, or at least news of his safety, Anil said.
Ravindra Singh, a resident of Mundera village in the Bodarwar area, was also working at the same company.
His 22-year-old son Ankit said Ravindra last spoke to the family around 6 am on the day of the disaster.
Sunil, a resident of Pipra Tiwari village under Hata police station, was working as a storekeeper at a Nepal power project, his family said.
While the company that employed him has reportedly listed Sunil as safe, his family said they have not been able to contact him or ascertain his whereabouts since the disaster.
Sunil's father Suraj God said the news that his son is safe has given the family some hope, but there is no concrete information about his whereabouts.
Sunil's wife Rekha Devi said she had last spoken to him two days before the tragedy struck.
"We spoke two days before the incident. He was absolutely fine. After the, there has been no contact," she said.
Karan Sharma, a resident of Malukahi village in Kaptanganj tehsil, who was working as an electrician foreman at the Upper Trishuli-1 project, was reported missing Saturday. His family last spoke to him on the night of August 26. His name was subsequently included in a list of employees reported missing.
Family members are seeking information through project officials in Nepal and relevant helplines.
According to the Independent Power Producers' Association, Nepal, 76 employees associated with Andritz Hydro and working on the Upper Trishuli-1 project were reportedly missing after the disaster.
The flash floods and subsequent landslides severely affected Nepal's Rasuwa district, sweeping away hydropower projects, roads and bridges and leaving many without a trace.
