Two Sisters Stuck In Nepal Flash Floods Found Safe In Pokhara; Anxious Wait Continues For Five MP Families | VIDEO

· Free Press Journal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A wave of relief swept over one Madhya Pradesh family after two sisters caught in flood-ravaged Nepal were traced, even as five other families from the state continued an agonising wait for news of their loved ones on Saturday.

At least seven people from Madhya Pradesh have gone missing or remain stranded in Nepal, including sisters Palak and Pallavi Manji from Anuppur and brothers Vikas and Himanshu Rajput from Raisen, officials said.

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Among those still unaccounted for is Toronto-based engineer Swati Bagrecha, who went missing near the Nepal-Tibet border during a 77-member Isha Foundation pilgrimage, leaving her family in Vidisha grappling with unanswered phone calls for four straight days.

Palak and Pallavi Manji, residents of Anuppur district who study and work in Gwalior, had lost contact with their family for two days after being caught in the disaster while on a holiday, the family said.

The family finally received news on Friday that both sisters were safe in Pokhara and were expected to begin their journey home on Sunday, Kotma police station house officer Ratnambhar Shukla said.

Their father also spoke to them over the phone after they were traced, the family said.

While the Manji family celebrated the rescue, anxiety deepened for families of five other missing persons who contacted state emergency helplines.

In Raisen, the family of brothers Vikas and Himanshu Rajput, who worked at a hydroelectric project, remained worried as they awaited information about them.

Relatives of Shah Jahan Ansari from Dewas and Shiba Prasad Mukherjee from Indore have also contacted a Delhi control room set up to assist people from Madhya Pradesh who are missing or stranded in Nepal.

In Vidisha, the family of 50-year-old Swati Bagrecha has endured four days of uncertainty, with her mobile phone continuing to ring without being answered.

Swati, a Toronto-based engineer, left Delhi on Aug 8 with a 77-member Isha Foundation group for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

Nepal Flash Floods Leave MP Families Anxious, Control Room Gets 8 Missing-Person Reports

Her family last spoke to her around 9 am on Aug 26, when she had reached the Nepal-Tibet border for immigration formalities, her brother Dr Prashant Bagrecha said.

"Her mobile is still ringing, but she is not answering our calls. We are extremely worried about her safety," he told PTI.

Her 14-year-old daughter Anushka had stayed behind with her elder sister in Mumbai, according to the family.

Prashant said location logs showed that Swati's mobile phone was active somewhere near the Chinese border, but tracing it had proved difficult as the number was registered in Toronto.

The family has contacted the Canadian and Indian embassies in Nepal and sought help in locating her, he said.

Following the intervention of local MLA Mukesh Tandon, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also spoke to the family and initiated efforts to trace Swati and facilitate her safe return, the family said.

The flash floods began after a sudden surge in the Bhotekoshi river in Nepal's Rasuwa region on Aug 26. Floodwaters subsequently flowed into the Trishuli and Gandak river systems, affecting downstream areas.

For the families still waiting, every unanswered call has deepened the fear, along with the hope that their loved ones are safe and will soon return home.

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