Vidisha , Every time her mobile phone rings unanswered near the flood-ravaged Nepal-Tibet border, the desperate family of 50-year-old Swati Bagrecha holds its breath, clinging to a ray of hope four days after they lost all contact with her.
Swati, a Toronto-based engineer who had left Delhi on August 8 with a 77-member group of the Isha Foundation for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, hasn't communicated with her family since 9 am on August 26, the day massive flash floods hit in Nepal.
Swati's 14-year-old daughter Anushka had stayed behind with her elder sister in Mumbai, according to the family.
"Her mobile is still ringing, but she is not answering our calls. We are extremely worried about her safety," Swati's brother, Dr Prashant Bagrecha, told PTI on Saturday.
He explained that Swati had reached the Nepal-Tibet border for immigration formalities on August 26, after which all communication ceased.
The floods began following a sudden surge in the Bhotekoshi river in the Rasuwa region, with floodwaters subsequently flowing into the Trishuli and Gandak river systems and affecting downstream areas.
Although location logs indicate her mobile phone is active somewhere near the Chinese border, tracing the device has proven difficult because the number is registered in Toronto, Prashant said.
{{/usCountry}}Although location logs indicate her mobile phone is active somewhere near the Chinese border, tracing the device has proven difficult because the number is registered in Toronto, Prashant said.
{{/usCountry}}Swati's family has now contacted both the Canadian and Indian embassies in Nepal, urging authorities to trace her exact location.
Following local MLA Mukesh Tandon's intervention, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke directly with the family, initiating diplomatic and administrative efforts to expedite the search and ensure her safe return, the family said.
With every unanswered ring deepening their anxiety, the family remains locked in a harrowing wait, praying that Swati is safe and will soon be reunited with her daughter.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.