Addressing a regular press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Friday, MoFA Spokesperson Arjun Bahadur Thapa said efforts are under way to trace the whereabouts of the missing. “Based on the information we have received, around 50 Nepali pilgrims are still out of contact,” said Thapa.
Thapa said another 1,000 Nepalis on their pilgrimage to holy Chaardhaam have already returned home. “Our embassy in New Delhi is working in close coordination with the Indian authorities to trace the whereabouts of the missing pilgrims,” he said. [break]
Thapa said that they have held talks with the Indian authorities to conduct DNA test on the bodies to ascertain the identities of the deceased as Indian authorities are recovering several dead bodies in the flood and landslide-hit areas, especially Badrinath, Kedarnath and Haridwar in India.
The government´s announcement comes amid complaints by several families in various parts of Nepal that the government has not done enough to trace the whereabouts of their missing kin.
The families of the missing pilgrims had filed complaints both at MoFA in Kathmandu and Nepalese Embassy in New Delhi seeking government´s help to locate their kin. Officials said those still out of contact could have been killed in the massive floods and landslides that occurred in mid-June.
Immediately after the news about Uttarakhand flood and landslides broke, the Nepali embassy in New Delhi sent two of its officials to Haridwar on rescue and relief mission. “We have been receiving full support from the Indian government,” said Thapa. “We will also mobilize our embassy in New Delhi to trace the whereabouts of the missing pilgrims.”
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