The daughter-in-law of former Union Minister Mukul Roy and wife of former Trinamool Congress MLA Subhranshu Roy is among those reported missing after flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border area, leaving hundreds of people unaccounted for. Meanwhile, former Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Satheesh Reddy and his wife are among 31 pilgrims stranded near the Nepal-Tibet border following the devastating flash floods.
Sarmistha Bhowmik Roy, who lives in North 24 Parganas district, has had no contact with her husband Subhranshu since the night of August 25. “She last spoke to her husband on the night of August 25. Since then, the family has been unable to establish contact with her,” said a relative of the Roy family. Subhranshu is the son of TMC leader Mukul Roy, who passed away earlier this year.
Sarmistha Went to Nepal on August 21 With a Group
Sarmistha had travelled to Nepal on August 21 as part of a tour arranged through a travel agency and was travelling alone, accompanied by members of her parental family.
The family has been desperately trying to reach her, but repeated calls have gone unanswered, with more than 24 hours having passed since the disaster struck. Her husband, former Bijpur MLA Subhranshu Roy, had already left for Nepal on Wednesday evening.
A 32-member group from Kolkata travelling towards Mount Kailash and Mansarovar is also among those still missing. The group, consisting of 30 tourists and two tour managers, left Kolkata on August 21 and reached Nepal the following day.
On Wednesday morning, the group reached Rasuwagadhi, near the Nepal-Tibet border, where its members were at an immigration office around 8:30 am.
Former DRDO Chief, His Wife Stranded Near Nepal-Tibet Border
Satheesh Reddy, former chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and his wife are among 31 pilgrims stranded near the Nepal-Tibet border following the devastating flash floods that hit the neighbouring nation on Wednesday morning.
At least 270 people have died and over 800 are missing in the Nepal floods, which swept away homes, bridges, and villages.
Ex-DRDO chief Reddy and his wife were also undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a sacred high-altitude pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, when the flash floods occurred. They are currently in the Saga County of Tibet.
All 31 pilgrims have informed their families that they are safe and had crossed the flood-hit area on Wednesday morning. They are planning to return to India through the Tibet-China route, though their homeward journey depends on the reopening of the Tibet border by China.
The floods have devastated settlements in central Nepal, destroying bridges and damaging infrastructure, including hydropower facilities. With roads and bridges damaged and communications disrupted, rescue teams have faced major difficulties reaching some of the worst-hit locations.
India has sent nearly 50 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief materials to Nepal in two tranches. The first flight took off on Wednesday night, delivering 10 tonnes of material. The second flight carried 37.5 tonnes of HADR material, medicines and food packets.