Bodies of missing Indian father-daughter tourists found buried in snow in Nepal’s Manang district

Indian Man, Daughter Missing For 3 Weeks In Nepal Found Buried In Snow (File image)

Bodies of two Indian tourists who had gone missing since October 20 have been recovered from the Manang district of Nepal, security officials confirmed.

After weeks of search, the security forces recovered the bodies of the Indian tourists buried in the snow, who had been missing for nearly three weeks.

According to the Armed Police Force (APF), they were identified as 52-year-old Jignesh Kumar Lallubhai Patel and 17-year-old Priyansa Kumari Patel. They were confirmed to be father and daughter.

APF DSP Shailendra Thapa said, "The rescue team had been searching for the missing duo for weeks. On November 9, a mountain rescue team led by APF Deputy Superintendent Hira Bahadur GC located their bodies about 100 meters above the monastery, buried under snow."

As per the security personnel, the two had left Gyalzen Hotel in Ngisyang Rural Municipality-4 on October 20, saying they were heading to visit Maleripa Monastery in Ward No. 5. They had been out of contact since then.

After losing contact, the hotel had informed the APF's Mountain Rescue Training Center in Manang, which began the search operation.

The process of recovering the bodies from the site is expected to be completed by tomorrow, Thapa added.

A severe snowstorm hit Nepal in October. From the Manang district alone, the security forces had rescued over 1,500 stranded tourists following heavy snowfall and adverse weather.

The father-daughter duo had gone missing before the Cyclone Montha effect had hit the Himalayas of Nepal. Still, another weather pattern had brought heavy snowfall in the high-lying areas in October.

All the trekking routes in Nepal were closed for over a week due to adverse weather conditions, with blockades reported in many tourist destinations.