Bhubaneswar: Efforts are intensifying to locate individuals from Odisha affected by the recent floods in Nepal. Fortunately, several travelers from the state have been located, although an Australia-based couple remains missing.
A group of 20 athletes from Odisha, who traveled to Nepal for an international sports event, are safe in Pokhara, situated approximately 230 kilometers from the disaster zone. This group, which includes football players and taekwondo practitioners from Bhubaneswar and other regions in Odisha, arrived in Nepal on Wednesday for the Indo-Nepal International Sports Carnival. They are currently under the supervision of their coaches, Md Ataul Halim for the football team, and Pratap Majhi and Jasmine Parida for the taekwondo athletes.
There was initial concern when their phones were unreachable for several hours, but the coach later reassured the Odisha government that all members are safe and residing in a hotel in Pokhara, nearly 300 kilometers from the affected area. Consequently, the scheduled matches have been postponed.
In a positive development, three friends from Puri—Rakesh Ranjan Panda and his two companions—have successfully crossed the border at Kapilvastu and re-entered India at the Raxaul check post, providing relief to their worried families.
Conversely, Sandeep Mohapatra and Sidharthi Kumari, a couple from Khordha living in Melbourne, Australia, remain untraceable. According to Pritish Panda, the nodal officer assigned by the Odisha government to assist stranded residents, the couple’s last known GPS location was near the immigration counter at Timure, an area on the Nepal-Tibet border heavily impacted by the disaster. Additionally, the tour guide accompanying them has also not been located.
In response to the crisis, the Odisha government has established a 24-hour control room at Odisha Bhavan in New Delhi to aid distressed Odias. The Chief Resident Commissioner’s office has made the following contact numbers available for anyone needing assistance:
- +91 7428135044
- +91 8527580245
- +91 11 23012807 (landline)
Furthermore, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has provided emergency helplines for Indian nationals currently in Nepal:
- +977 9851316807
- +977 9709107500
These helplines are also accessible via WhatsApp for prompt communication. Officials indicated that the control room will collaborate with the MEA and Nepali authorities to facilitate timely support, including evacuation, relief, and information dissemination for Odias stranded in the flood-affected regions.
Additionally, Kulsum Nigar from Baripada in Mayurbhanj district, who had gone missing while trekking in Nepal since Tuesday, has reached out to her family and confirmed her safety.
