West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari held an online meeting with families of Bengal tourists missing in the Nepal flash floods and representatives of the tour operator from Bhabani Bhawan at 8pm on Friday. Families sought updates and urged coordination with Nepalese, Chinese, and Tibetan authorities.
39 tourists initially reported missing
Adhikari said 39 people from Bengal had initially been reported missing. Contact had been established with two, while efforts continued to trace the remaining 37. The state has created a WhatsApp group for verified updates and is compiling a list of tourists rescued from the Tibetan side.
State plans rescue assistance in Nepal
The chief minister said the state was in touch with two companies employing some missing tourists and was preparing to send a team to Nepal to assist rescue efforts. He also assured families that the government would facilitate travel to China if relatives wanted to search for missing family members.
I have spoken to the Resident Commissioner. If any family member wants to go to China, we will ensure that they get a visa quickly,
Adhikari said. He urged families to remain hopeful and assured them that the entire state government was standing with them.
Ankita seeks list of rescued tourists
During the meeting, Ankita Ganguly, daughter of missing Mousumi and Arindam Ganguly, urged the government to publish a list of rescued tourists. She said families were not receiving adequate information from Nepal and requested authorities to investigate developments on the China side.
Families request immigration records verification
The family of Rajarshi Roy Chowdhury said his last known location had been traced and requested that immigration records be checked. S Roy from Kanchrapara also sought coordination with Chinese authorities to verify immigration records. Adhikari said the state was already in contact with China and would seek assistance.
Officials were instructed to verify tourists’ entry records. The first entry was recorded at 8.08pm, while Jayanta Sanyal was among those whose entry was recorded last, officials said.
Relatives seek help for missing family
Several relatives joined the meeting seeking information about their loved ones. A Tarakeswar resident said his uncle Snehasis Dutta had travelled alone and asked whether he was among the tourists who travelled with Chalo Jaai.
A Poddar family said Anukul Poddar’s brother-in-law was waiting in Kathmandu and sought help bringing him home. Another caller said his sister and brother-in-law had travelled with Kundu Travels and requested arrangements for their return.
Rescued tourists to receive travel assistance
Adhikari directed officials to arrange tickets for rescued tourists in Kathmandu. He instructed Basirhat authorities to assist two rescued tourists, saying they should fly to Kolkata and then be taken home by car rather than undertake a long train journey.
The Basirhat SP said the administration remained in constant contact with the affected families and was coordinating efforts to provide information and assistance.
Elderly father awaits news about couple
A caller from Narayanpur’s Kalipark area sought information about missing Swapan Mondal and Mou Mandal. The caller said Mou Mandal’s 95-year-old father was extremely distressed after learning about the situation.
Adhikari directed officials to collect the Kalipark address and share it with the Bidhannagar police commissioner and concerned SP so that the family could be contacted and assisted.
Burdwan family seeks missing worker update
A relative from Burdwan said his brother-in-law, who worked at the Rasuwagadhi hydropower project, had gone missing. Tour manager Nripen Sarkar also remained untraceable. His name was reportedly found in Nepal’s immigration records, but no corresponding Chinese record had been located.
One relative said families had received a list of 37 missing people but had established contact with only two. The relative said neither the families, Ministry of External Affairs nor state government had been able to contact the remaining people.
14,000 personnel continue rescue operations
Adhikari said rescue operations were continuing with around 14,000 people involved. He added that around 500 people had reportedly been found on the Tibet side and said their list would be published soon.
Asked whether a Bengal team could be sent to the Tibet side, Adhikari said he would send one if permission was granted by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Shamik Bhattacharya from Kasba asked whether relatives or Chalo Jaai representatives could travel to Tibet if tourists were found stranded there. Adhikari said the state was in close contact with Chinese authorities and seeking information.
Family asks authorities to check higher ground
Another relative suggested that tourists may have moved to higher ground after hearing warning sirens before the floods and urged authorities to investigate whether they reached elevated areas.
A relative from Durgapur requested an official WhatsApp group for families so that verified developments could be shared promptly.
Ankita referred to reports that more than 500 tourists had been evacuated from the Friendship Bridge area and sought the rescued tourists’ list, saying families had no information about their relatives’ safety.
Families from Kasba raised the case of Nikhil Ranjan Biswas and Shikha Naskar Biswas, missing after travelling from Howrah on the Maitree Express on August 21. They sought coordination with Chinese authorities to trace Bengal tourists stranded beyond Nepal.
Government maintains contact with three authorities
Adhikari said the Government of India was in close contact with Chinese, Nepalese and Tibetan governments. He said relief flights had reached Kathmandu following directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and assured families that efforts to trace the missing tourists would continue.
