Nepal flash floods: 36 West Bengal tourists missing, Adhikari govt confirms
Synopsis
Thirty-six West Bengal residents — most of them pilgrims on a Kolkata tour-operator package — have gone missing in Nepal's flash floods, the Adhikari government confirmed on 27 August. With families already flying to Kathmandu and a dedicated police control room activated, the crisis underscores the recurring danger faced by Indian pilgrimage groups in the Himalayas during monsoon season.
Key Takeaways
The West Bengal government confirmed 36 people from the state are missing in Nepal due to flash floods as of 27 August .
The missing are from Kolkata , South 24 Parganas , North 24 Parganas , West Burdwan , Hooghly , and Darjeeling districts.
Most were travelling as a pilgrimage group arranged by Kolkata-based tour operator Cholo Jai ; the group includes 2 agency staff .
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a dedicated control room at Bhabani Bhavan with two helpline numbers.
The state is coordinating with the Embassy of India in Kathmandu ; family members have begun travelling to Nepal for information.
The West Bengal government on Thursday, 27 August officially confirmed that 36 people from the state are missing in Nepal following devastating flash floods that have swept through the Himalayan nation. The missing individuals, most of them pilgrims, were part of a tour group organised by a Kolkata-based travel agency, and contact with them has been lost since Wednesday.
Who Is Missing and Where They Are From
State government officials confirmed that the 36 missing persons hail from multiple districts across West Bengal, including Kolkata, Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas, Basirhat in North 24 Parganas, Durgapur in West Burdwan, Tarakeshwar in Hooghly, and Siliguri in Darjeeling district. Authorities have not yet released the full names or details of all the missing individuals, with verification still underway.
The majority of those unaccounted for were travelling as part of a pilgrimage group arranged by the Kolkata-based tour operator Cholo Jai. The group also included two staff members of the agency. Dibyajyoti Basu, the founder of Cholo Jai, confirmed to reporters that his agency's Kolkata office lost all contact with the group since Wednesday.
What the Adhikari Government Said
Confusion over the exact number of missing persons had been circulating since Wednesday night, with conflicting figures emerging from various quarters. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari issued an official statement seeking to clarify the situation. 'The Government of West Bengal is actively coordinating with the Embassy of India in Kathmandu and proper administrative channels. The exact number of missing or affected persons from West Bengal is currently being ascertained, and verification is underway. Information regarding those stranded is being sought and closely monitored in real time to facilitate prompt assistance and rescue,' the statement read.
Adhikari also announced the activation of a dedicated control room at the West Bengal Police headquarters at Bhabani Bhavan in South Kolkata, with two helpline numbers made available to concerned families.
Families Rush to Kathmandu
Family members of several missing tourists have already begun travelling to Kathmandu to seek first-hand information. This comes amid a broader humanitarian crisis triggered by the Nepal floods, which have disrupted travel and communication across large parts of the Himalayan country.
This is not the first time Indian tourists — particularly from West Bengal — have been caught in natural disasters in Nepal. The state shares close cultural and religious ties with Nepal, making pilgrimage travel frequent, and the vulnerability of such groups to extreme weather events a recurring concern.
What Happens Next
Rescue and verification efforts are ongoing, with the state government coordinating through diplomatic channels in Kathmandu. The control room at Bhabani Bhavan remains operational. As the official count stands at 36 missing, authorities have cautioned that the figure could change as ground-level information improves.
Point of View
Not a ceiling — state governments routinely undercount in the early hours of cross-border disasters, and the admission that 'verification is underway' signals the number could rise. The broader pattern here is structural: West Bengal sends tens of thousands of pilgrims to Nepal every monsoon season, often through small tour operators with limited emergency protocols. The Cholo Jai case raises a pointed question about whether such agencies carry adequate crisis-response capacity. A control room at Bhabani Bhavan is a necessary gesture, but diplomatic pressure on Kathmandu for faster ground-level information access will matter far more in the hours ahead.
NationPress
27 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people from West Bengal are missing in the Nepal floods?
The West Bengal government has officially confirmed that 36 people from the state are missing in Nepal following devastating flash floods. The figure was confirmed on 27 August , though authorities have noted that verification is still ongoing and the count could change.
Who were the missing West Bengal tourists in Nepal?
Most of the 36 missing persons were pilgrims travelling as part of a group tour arranged by Kolkata-based agency Cholo Jai . The group included two staff members of the agency. They hailed from multiple districts including Kolkata, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, West Burdwan, Hooghly, and Darjeeling.
What steps has the West Bengal government taken?
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that the state is coordinating with the Embassy of India in Kathmandu through official channels. A dedicated control room has been set up at Bhabani Bhavan , the West Bengal Police headquarters in South Kolkata, with two helpline numbers for families of the missing.
When did contact with the group go missing?
According to Dibyajyoti Basu , founder of tour operator Cholo Jai , the agency's Kolkata office lost contact with the group since Wednesday . Conflicting figures about the number of missing persons had begun circulating from Wednesday night before the state government issued its official confirmation on Thursday.
Are family members able to reach the missing tourists?
Several family members have already begun travelling to Kathmandu to seek first-hand information about their relatives. The state government is simultaneously monitoring the situation in real time through diplomatic and administrative channels.
