Kathmandu, 31 August: Families from various countries have arrived in Nepal and joined the search for their relatives after they went missing in the floods in the Bhotekoshi River. According to the Department of Immigration, following the floods in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers last Wednesday, the number of inquiries at immigration offices has increased as relatives seek information about people who entered or left Nepal after becoming uncontactable.
According to Department of Immigration spokesperson Shiv Prasad Lamsal, after reports emerged that both Nepali and foreign nationals were missing following the devastating floods, relatives of missing persons have started visiting immigration offices themselves, in addition to seeking assistance through embassies and consular missions of various countries.
He said, “Relatives of foreign nationals who had reached the Nepal-China border areas for pilgrimage, tourism or various other purposes have come to Nepal and are searching for their loved ones at different hospitals, police offices, rescue and identification centers, the Department of Immigration, and areas around the incident site. Some relatives have requested records of their family members’ entry into and departure from Nepal and are conducting searches based on that information. Others have obtained travel details through the relevant trekking agencies and have visited hospitals and body identification centers carrying photographs and information about their relatives.”
He said most of the relatives who have come to Nepal in search of missing tourists are from India, China, the United States, Ukraine, Malta, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Australia, among other countries.
89 Foreign Nationals Had Departed
According to spokesperson Lamsal, before the flood struck on the morning of Bhadra 10 (Wednesday), a total of 89 people, including foreign and Nepali nationals, had departed for China through the immigration office in Timure, while three Nepali nationals had entered Nepal.
He said, “By 8:35 a.m. on Wednesday, passengers entering and leaving Nepal had completed immigration procedures and had already crossed into China. By that time, 32 Nepali nationals, 12 Chinese nationals, nine Americans, 33 Indians, and one tourist each from Canada, Italy and Australia had crossed toward the Gyirong Port area along the Nepal-China border.”
Challenges in Identifying Bodies
According to Nepal Police, the identification process has also become challenging after a large number of bodies were recovered following the floods.
Senior Superintendent of Police Nanti Raj Gurung, who has been involved in the search and rescue of foreign nationals, said, “Although one or two of the bodies of people who died after being swept away by the floods appear to be those of foreign nationals, identification has been difficult because the bodies remained in water and mud for a long time.”
Five More Tourists Rescued
As the government intensified the search for people missing in the floods, five more foreign nationals were rescued on Sunday.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board, three tourists from Spain, one from the United States and one from Belgium were rescued on Sunday. The Board said that a total of 289 tourists had been rescued as of Sunday, while 591 others remained unaccounted for.
