Pune, 29th August 2026: At least 60 people from Maharashtra are still missing following devastating floods and landslides in Nepal. The missing persons include residents of Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Kolhapur and parts of the Konkan region.
The information was revealed in a joint statement issued on Friday (August 28) evening by Mumbai-based Hills and Trails and Kathmandu-based Richa Treks.
According to the statement, the Nepal Mountaineering Association's rescue team inspected the affected border area. Around 644 people, including 517 foreign nationals and 127 Nepali citizens, were reportedly present at the immigration centre when the disaster struck.
A group of 60 people led by Dr Milind Chitale was staying in a building that was swept away by the powerful floodwaters. All members of the group have been reported missing.
Chinese rescue teams, the Nepal Army and police are carrying out search operations in the affected area. Officials said the situation remains critical and no member of the group has so far been confirmed safe.
More than 500 bodies have reportedly been recovered from the disaster-hit area. As many of the bodies are in a severely damaged condition, authorities have started collecting DNA samples to establish their identities.
The Nepal government has not yet released a final official death toll.
Umesh Zhirpe, president of the Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohak Mahasangh, said, "Nepal has not permitted rescue teams from other countries to conduct operations. Nepal's own expert teams are carrying out rescue work using long-line rescue techniques. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has established a 24-hour help desk, and relatives should contact it for further information. Maharashtra's Disaster Management Department is in continuous contact with the Nepal government, and efforts are underway to bring all citizens back safely."
Meanwhile, 68 pilgrims who travelled to Nepal through the Maitri organisation are safe. The group, led by Mahesh Shejwal, has completed its pilgrimage and reached the Nepal-China border.
The group includes people from Pune, Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.
Flooding had washed away roads and the immigration office along the Nepal-China border, cutting off the main route back. An alternative route has now been opened.
The 68 pilgrims are expected to travel through the Nyalam–Kodari–Tatopani route before reaching Kathmandu.
The search for the missing Maharashtra citizens is continuing with the involvement of Nepal's security forces and rescue teams. Authorities are also working to identify recovered bodies through DNA testing.
Families of the missing citizens are awaiting further information as rescue teams continue operations in the affected area.
The reported missing group includes Dr Milind Chitale, Janhavi Chitale, Manju Shanker, Shanker Lakshmanan, Padma Mahadevan, Anitha Radhakrishnan, Deepa Balaji, Balaji Venkatachalam, Srividya Shankar, Shankar Venkatachalam, Anagha Annamdevara, Venkataram Annamdevara, Venkat Subramanian, Meenakshi Subramanian, Chetna Gupta, Veena Kulkarni, Raman, Rema Kothandaraman, Kumar Advani, Avnish Merchant, Vidyavati Acharya, Lakshminarayan Acharya, Atul Das, Payal Das, Jignesh Merchant, Tejal Merchant, Kinnari Patel, Mihirkumar Patel, Alpa Karkhanis, Meenakshi Ramani, Monica Jain, Sanjeevkumar Jain, Paresh Patel, Jyoti Patel, Dr Jay Kotecha, Roma Intwala, Ramesh Babu, Dhanpal Reddy, Jitendra Patil, Vinayak Tambwekar, Manisha Pawar, Geeta Jalandre, Sanjay Patil, Nalini Patil, Rajnish Natu, Gajanan Pathak, Satish Pathak, Rajshree Pathak, Mansi Gokhale, Aarushi Gupta, Sushil Kulkarni, Geeta Kulkarni, Prerna Kale, Smita Joshi, Nitin Gadre, Rajesh Oak, Rashmi Oak, Dr Anand Deshpande, Dr Gayatri Deshpande, Satish Patankar, Rekha Patankar, Sunil Subhedar, Yashas Bhand, Aparna Joshi, Sameer Joshi and Sarita Kamat.