Rourkela: Over a month has passed since a 25-year-old woman from Odisha and her two-year-old daughter went missing due to flash floods in Nepal on August 26, and their family is still seeking information from Nepalese officials, even after submitting DNA samples for identification. Kamma Venkatesh (22) from Kullunda Jamtikra village in Bargarh district, who is the younger brother of the missing woman Gunnam Sai Bindu, traveled to Kathmandu last month to provide a DNA sample requested by the authorities.

Venkatesh recounted that Bindu had video-called him at approximately 8:28 AM on August 26, conversing for nearly six minutes and even showing him her daughter, Harixa. Just moments later, the devastating floods struck. The family learned of their disappearance the next day from Bindu’s husband, Gunnam Jaykrishna (38). Venkatesh’s DNA sample was collected in Kathmandu on September 4 for comparison with unidentified remains found after the disaster.

“It’s been nearly a month, yet we have received no updates from the Nepal government. My mother is heartbroken,” he expressed. Jaykrishna, who survived the floods while working at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district, was on higher ground when the floods occurred. However, Bindu and Harixa, who were at home in a nearby village, remain missing. He was airlifted to Kathmandu on August 27 and stayed behind to search for them with the support of his company. Unfortunately, his travel documents were lost in the floodwaters. He returned to Bargarh on September 5. Dinesh Choudhury, Jaykrishna’s elder brother, stated that the family remains devastated and continues to hope for a positive outcome.