Nepal flash floods: Six from Assam feared missing, CM Himanta says

Six people from Assam are feared missing following devastating flash floods and mudslides in Nepal, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on August 28, as authorities continued efforts to verify the identities and whereabouts of those unaccounted for.

“As of Friday afternoon, we have information that six persons from Assam are missing as a result of this flash flood in Nepal. These numbers are being verified,” Sarma told reporters.

“We are trying our best to establish contact and identify people from Assam who were in Nepal,” he added.

The disaster, reportedly triggered by a glacier collapse and an ice-rock avalanche in the Himalayan region, has ravaged areas along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, damaging roads, bridges and power infrastructure and leaving thousands of people unaccounted for.

Among those reported missing are 24-year-old Rituparna Brahma and 28-year-old Mantri Basumatary, both from Doydak village under Langhin in Karbi Anglong district. The two had reportedly travelled to Nepal around two weeks ago in search of employment and were working at a hydropower project near the Trishuli River.

Their families have been unable to contact them since the disaster, with their mobile phones reportedly switched off.

Another Assam resident reported missing is 28-year-old Shatadal Nath of Hindu Block village in Doboka, Hojai district. Nath was reportedly working in Nepal and was at his accommodation after completing a night shift when the floods struck.

There was some relief for the family of 37-year-old Someshwar Narzary, a colleague of Rituparna and Mantri and also from Karbi Anglong. Narzary survived the disaster and managed to establish contact with his family.

Officials are continuing efforts to ascertain the exact number of Indians and other foreign nationals missing in the disaster as rescue teams reach remote and severely affected areas.

The Assam government has set up helplines through Assam House in New Delhi to assist families seeking information about people from the state who may be stranded or missing in Nepal.

As rescue teams search through mud and debris and helicopters reach some of the worst-hit areas, families in Assam continue to wait for confirmation about the safety of their loved ones.