Pune: A 43-year-old IT professional from Rahatani in Pimpri Chinchwad is among the Indian tourists reported missing after flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday.Jitendra Patil was part of a group of 60 Indian tourists undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, led by Mumbai-based Milind Chitley, an experienced mountaineer and founder of Hills and Trails organisation. Chitley is also reported missing along with the other group members.Jitendra’s wife, Pallavi, has been waiting for an update about her husband’s whereabouts. She told TOI that the group left Mumbai on Aug 23 and was scheduled to return on Sept 6. She said she last spoke to her husband over a WhatsApp call around 7am on Wednesday. His last WhatsApp activity was recorded at 8.07am, after which the family has been unable to contact him.“I spoke to him when he was near Timure and the group was heading towards the immigration point on the Nepal-China border,” Pallavi said.This was the first time Jitendra travelled alone. “Our family has always gone together to Badrinath and Kedarnath in the past,” his wife added. His friend, who had earlier travelled with the same tour operator, had suggested that he choose it.Pallavi said she had contacted govt officials through helplines and members of the tour agency to trace her husband, but so far there was no information about his whereabouts. “There has been no response from govt or the tour agency. I do not know whether he is in Nepal or China. The tour agency gave us update on official information they received from govt or they do not respond at all,” Pallavi said.Most people in the group have been reported missing, and family members have approached authorities with details of their kin on social media profiles and groups seeking help and information about those missing.Data from the state disaster management department shows that Richa Tours Pvt Ltd was the local tour agency in Nepal for the group.Among those missing is Chetana Gupta from Mumbai. Her family members in a post circulated on social media platforms stated that she, along with the group, was scheduled to travel from Timure in Nepal to Kerung/Gyirong, located on the Nepal-China border, for further journey and her last mobile location was traced around 9am around the same area.
