Slim odds, strong faith: Kin of Gujarat NRIs await word on missing loved ones in Nepal floods

Ahmedabad: Even as uncertainty clouds the fate of missing pilgrims in Nepal's floods, Ahmedabad resident Sunny Parikh holds on to hope, convinced his 65‑year‑old mother, a US citizen, will return alive and safe.

In Gandhinagar, Dhaval Raval waits anxiously for word on his brother Bhavinkumar, an Australian citizen missing since the morning of August 26 after the tragedy in Nepal, as his two young nephews long for their father's safe return home.

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Desperate families of Gujarat-linked pilgrims, including NRIs, are making frantic efforts to trace their loved ones who remain missing after flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet region on August 26, clinging to little more than hope and faith.

The number of untraceable persons rose to 26, including several NRIs from Gujarat, according to a list released by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) on Friday.

"No one has been traced yet," an SEOC official told PTI on Sunday.

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"I feel my mother is alive, rescued and safe," said Sunny Parikh, whose mother, Bina Parikh, a US citizen, went missing after the flash floods.

The last contact with Bina was on August 24, when she texted that she had reached Kathmandu and would leave for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra on August 25.

"Everything seems uncertain. News showed several missing persons in the huge calamity, but I am hoping for the best," he said.

"We are gathering solid information from everywhere about my mother, as the last location of her iPhone showed on Friendship Bridge," Sunny told PTI, sharing a screenshot of the phone's last known location.

He said he also contacted travel agency Dream Tibet Travel and Tour, through which his mother, along with 10 other people, including three Nepalis and seven NRIs, were set to reach Kailash Mansarovar.

"We got to know that their group, en route to the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, had crossed the border. Now we are just waiting for their call. I think it's just a matter of time," Sunny said, his voice filled with hope.

His father and sister, who live in the US, are also actively trying to trace the group.

"My sister in the US made a WhatsApp group with relatives of some of the missing people and is trying to contact them constantly," he said.

Sunny said his father, who is diabetic, experienced delirium-like symptoms when he first heard that his wife was missing.

"I have faith that my mother is alive. Even my Reiki master told me that he has a feeling that she is alive, and I believe it," he added,

Dhaval Raval, a resident of Gandhinagar, said his brother Bhavinkumar Raval, an Australian citizen, has been unreachable since the early hours of August 26.

"Bhavinkumar last texted his wife, who is in Australia, that he was leaving for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra on August 26 around 5 am," Dhaval said.

Bhavinkumar has two minor sons who are eagerly waiting for their father to return home, he said.

"Everyone at home is worried. We are repeatedly calling him and leaving WhatsApp messages," Dhaval said, adding that they have also informed the High Commission and the state government.

"We are hopeful that we'll hear from them soon," he said.