Gandhinagar, August 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Gujarat government is closely monitoring the situation of 18 people from the state who have been reported missing or uncontactable in flood-hit Nepal, with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel coordinating with the Center and state officials working to establish their whereabouts and ensure their safety.
A State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) compilation updated at 5 pm on Thursday listed 18 Gujarat-linked people whose families had approached authorities after losing contact with them.
Those on the list are from Ahmedabad, Anand, Rajkot, Valsad, Surat, Kheda, Amreli, Gandhinagar and Vadodara. Several were traveling on the Kailash Mansarovar route through Kerung.
The government had earlier reported around 12 people from Gujarat as missing or uncontactable, but the latest SEOC and district emergency center records have raised the number to 18. The list also includes Indian-origin foreign citizens from the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Among those reported uncontactable are Ahmedabad residents Kinnari Patel and Mihir Patel, who were traveling with Richa Tours Pvt Ltd on the Kailash Mansarovar route via Kerung. Their last contact was reported at 4:51 am on Wednesday.
From Anand, Bimalkumar Patel and Jaimina Patel, both US citizens of Indian origin, were reported uncontactable while undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Namaste Nepal Trekking and Research Hub. Their last contact was reported on Wednesday morning.
Ahmedabad resident Ashok Kapadi, who was traveling with Samrat Tours and Travels, was last contacted around 8:30 am Wednesday while reportedly nearing the China border immigration centre.
Rajkot resident Jay Dinesh Kotecha was reported uncontactable near the Friendship Bridge and Bhote Koshi River at the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border.
Roma Intwala of Valsad was also reported uncontactable in the same area but was later confirmed safe by authorities.
Three people linked to Surat — Paresh Patel, Jyoti Patel and Minaxi Ramani — figure on the state list. Jyoti Patel and Minaxi Ramani were traveling on the Kailash Mansarovar route with Richa Tours Nepal and were last contacted on August 26. Paresh Patel, who resides in the US, had not been in contact with his family for 24 hours.
From Kheda, Umesh Patel, Akansha Patel and Ishan Patel were reported uncontactable. They had traveled via Delhi to Nepal by air and were last contacted around 7 pm on August 25. Umesh and Akansha are Canadian citizens, while Ishan is an American citizen.
Dinesh Patel of Amreli, a US citizen, was also reported uncontactable.
From Gandhinagar, Bhavinkumar Raval, an Australian citizen, was reported uncontactable after traveling via Kyirong. His last contact was around 5 am on Wednesday.
Amita Amin, Tejal Patel and Jitendra Patel, all US citizens, were also listed from Gandhinagar. They were reportedly in the Bagmati area near the Friendship Bridge.
The development comes amid a devastating flash flood and landslide disaster in parts of Nepal and along the Nepal-China border, which has disrupted roads, bridges and communication networks and left hundreds of travelers unaccounted for.
Nepalese authorities are continuing efforts to verify the whereabouts of tourists and travelers reported missing from affected areas.
The Gujarat government said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Office was in contact with the Nepal government, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah was monitoring the situation involving stranded Gujaratis and other Indian nationals.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is in touch with Shah and the Ministry of External Affairs. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his ministry are also coordinating assistance and information.
Government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani said the state government stood with affected families and was making every effort to bring those affected to safety at the earliest.
The state has activated helplines through the SEOC in Gandhinagar, along with district-level helplines, to assist families seeking information about relatives in Nepal.
Families can contact the State Emergency Center at 079-23251900, 9978405304 or the emergency helpline 1070.
The administration has urged affected families to remain in contact with designated emergency centers as authorities continue efforts to verify the status and location of those who remain uncontactable.