At least 18 people from Gujarat remain missing or uncontactable in flood-hit Nepal as of Thursday, 27 August, with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in direct communication with the Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs to coordinate rescue and verification efforts. The figure marks an increase from an earlier official count of around 12 missing, according to the latest State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) compilation recorded at 5 pm on Thursday.

Who Is Missing and Where

The 18 individuals on the SEOC list hail from Ahmedabad, Anand, Rajkot, Valsad, Surat, Kheda, Amreli, Gandhinagar, and Vadodara. Several were travelling on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route via Kerung when contact was lost.

Kinnari Patel and Mihir Patel of Ahmedabad, travelling with Richa Tours Pvt Ltd, were last reachable at 4:51 am on Wednesday. Ashok Kapadi, also of Ahmedabad and travelling with Samrat Tours and Travels, was last contacted at around 8:30 am on Wednesday, reportedly nearing the China border immigration centre.

Jay Dinesh Kotecha of Rajkot was reported uncontactable near the Friendship Bridge and Bhote Koshi River at the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border. Roma Intwala of Valsad was initially listed as uncontactable in the same area but was subsequently confirmed safe by authorities.

Three Surat-linked individuals — Paresh Patel, Jyoti Patel, and Minaxi Ramani — are also on the state list. Jyoti Patel and Minaxi Ramani were last contacted on 26 August while travelling with Richa Tours Nepal. Three individuals from Kheda — Umesh Patel, Akansha Patel, and Ishan Patel — were last reachable at around 7 pm on 25 August after travelling via Delhi to Nepal by flight.

From Gandhinagar, Bhavinkumar Raval was last contacted at approximately 5 am on Wednesday after travelling via Kyirong. Amita Amin, Tejal Patel, and Jitendra Patel — all three US citizens — were reported in the Bagmati area near the Friendship Bridge.

Indian-Origin Foreign Nationals Among the Missing

The SEOC list includes Indian-origin citizens from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Bimalkumar Patel and Jaimina Patel of Anand, both US citizens, were reported uncontactable while undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Namaste Nepal Trekking and Research Hub, with last contact on Wednesday morning. Dinesh Patel of Amreli, a US citizen, and Bhavinkumar Raval of Gandhinagar, an Australian citizen, are also among those unaccounted for. Umesh Patel and Akansha Patel from Kheda are identified as Canadian citizens, while Ishan Patel and Paresh Patel hold US citizenship.

Centre and State Response

According to the Gujarat government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office is in contact with the Nepal government, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah is personally monitoring the situation involving stranded Gujaratis and other Indian citizens. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his ministry are coordinating assistance and information-sharing with Nepali counterparts.

Government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani said, 'The State Government stands with every affected family in this hour of grief; efforts are underway to bring those affected back to safety at the earliest.'

The state has activated emergency helplines through the SEOC in Gandhinagar, as well as district-level helplines. Families seeking information can call 079-23251900, 9978405304, or the national emergency helpline 1070.

The Disaster in Nepal

A devastating combination of flash floods and landslides has struck parts of Nepal and the Nepal-China border region, severing roads, bridges, and communication lines and leaving hundreds of travellers unaccounted for. Nepal's authorities are working to verify the status of tourists and pilgrims stranded across affected areas — a process complicated by damaged infrastructure along key Himalayan corridors.

This is not the first time the Kailash Mansarovar route has been disrupted by monsoon-season disasters; the high-altitude Kerung corridor is particularly vulnerable to landslides between July and September. Authorities have asked families to remain in contact with designated emergency centres as verification efforts continue.