27 from Telangana Untraceable in Nepal Floods as Families Rush to Disaster Zone

Hyderabad: At least 27 travellers from Telangana, including non-resident Indians with roots in Hyderabad, remain unaccounted for following devastating floods in Nepal, prompting anxious families to travel to the disaster-hit country to search for their relatives.

Officials manning the helpline at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi confirmed that 27 travellers from the state were untraceable as of Sunday, after two additional names were added to the list. The overall death toll in the Nepal floods has crossed 700.

Several families from Telangana have departed for Nepal, clinging to hope that their loved ones are safe but unable to reach out due to widespread communication disruptions. Other families said local officials and travel agents asked them to travel to Nepal to assist in identifying bodies.

Among the missing is Geetha Vachan Adinarayana Reddy, a 43-year-old British citizen with roots in Hyderabad. She was travelling with tour operator Himalayan Glacier on the Kailash Mansarovar yatra along with 40 others. Her family last spoke with her at 8:30 am on August 26, roughly 30 minutes before floods hit Timure, near the Nepal-China immigration centre. Her family noted that she had been staying at the Kailash Hotel, which was completely damaged, and relatives have travelled to Nepal to search for her.

Similarly, family members of Suhasini Reddy Kandimalla, an Australia-based tech professional and New Zealand citizen with roots in Hyderabad, have travelled to Kathmandu. Her uncle, Ramesh Reddy K, said her brother, sister-in-law, and a friend left for Nepal on Sunday alongside a team from New Zealand after local officials asked them to come.

According to sources, at least four tour groups—including Isha Foundation, Kailash Journey, and Richa Tours and Travels—were near the immigration centre when the disaster struck, carrying several travellers from the Telugu states.

Official figures from the Nepal Tourism Board indicated that 52 travellers from Himalayan Glacier, 31 from the Kailash Group, and 12 from the Richa Group were missing from the affected area, with nationalities yet to be confirmed. Separately, 77 members of the Isha Foundation were present at the immigration centre when the floods hit.