Archive · 29 Aug 2026
Nine Maharashtra Pilgrims Remain Uncontactable After Nepal Floods
Nine people from Maharashtra were travelling to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar.
They were passing through Nepal on August 26.
Flash floods hit the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi area near the Nepal-China border.
After the floods, their families could no longer contact them.
Some travellers were last heard from near immigration offices or border areas.
One couple, Aparna and Samir Joshi, was visiting Nepal for the first time.
Officials and tour companies are trying to find out where the pilgrims are.
Families are waiting for news about their safety.
Nobody has confirmed that the pilgrims have died.
Nine pilgrims from Thane and Navi Mumbai became uncontactable after flash floods struck Nepal’s Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi region on August 26.
The travellers were undertaking the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra toward the Nepal-China border and Tibet.
Relatives last heard from the pilgrims between about 7 am and 8.28 am, including from immigration points and border areas.
Among those missing are Thane couple Aparna and Samir Joshi, who were making their first trip to Nepal; one report refers to Samir as Sameer Joshi.
The Thane district administration, relatives, tour operators and officials including Devendra Fadnavis’s office are seeking information; no deaths have been confirmed.
- Who
- Nine pilgrims from Thane district and Navi Mumbai, including the Patankar, Joshi and Patil couples and three other travellers.
- What
- They became uncontactable during the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra after flash floods disrupted communications.
- When
- Contact was lost or last recorded on August 26; reported last contacts occurred between approximately 7 am and 8.28 am.
- Where
- The pilgrims were travelling through Nepal’s Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi corridor toward the Nepal-China border, Tibet and routes including Timure and Kerung.
- Why
- Flash floods and the resulting communication disruption left families and authorities unable to establish contact or confirm the pilgrims’ locations.
- People uncontactable
- Nine pilgrims from Thane district and Navi Mumbai
- Incident date
- August 26
- Affected area
- Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi, Nepal
- Pilgrimage
- Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra
- Reported last contacts
- Between approximately 7 am and 8.28 am at border areas, Timure and the Nepal-China immigration office
- Joshi couple
- Aparna and Samir Joshi were on their first trip to Nepal; one report spells Samir’s name as Sameer
- Authorities’ response
- The Thane district administration is coordinating with families and awaiting information from concerned authorities
- Confirmed casualties
- No deaths or specific casualties involving the nine pilgrims have been confirmed
