Nepal's Foreign Minister NP Saud on Saturday sought the help of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to locate the Nepalese pilgrims who went missing after a flash flood swept away the hotel they were staying in near the Kedarnath temple area.
Saud on Saturday called Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami and formally requested him for the urgent search and rescue of the Nepalese pilgrims who went missing in the landslides that have occurred in Gauri Kund of Rudraprayag district since Thursday night following incessant rain, according to the minister’s secretariat.
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A total of 19 pilgrims went missing in the landslide that hit Gauri Kund, out of which 11 are Nepal citizens. So far, seven bodies have been recovered of which three are Nepalese.
According to media reports, most of the missing pilgrims are Nepalese.
Chief Minister Dhami told Foreign Minister Saud that security personnel and other agencies have been deployed for search and rescue operations for the missing people since Saturday morning.
Dhami also informed that due to the adverse weather condition in Rudraprayag, his visit to Gauri Kund was cancelled, but he gave necessary instructions to the local administration to continue the search for the missing persons, according to the Secretariat of Foreign Minister Saud.
Earlier, on Friday, Minister Saud instructed the Nepal Embassy in Delhi to carry out search and rescue works in coordination with the Indian authorities.
Published 05 August 2023, 13:11 IST