Telangana missing count rises to 23, two travellers safe

The number of missing travellers from Telangana in the Nepal floods rose to 23 on Friday, with 37-year-old Dhanpal Reddy from Manikonda added to the list after his family could not contact him for two days. Two travellers with roots in the state, Ravinder Reddy Kumbham and Alli Ilesha, have been confirmed safe, though their exact locations remain unknown.

Ravinder, a US-based NRI, had completed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and was travelling back through Tibet when the floods struck. He called his family on Friday, saying he and his group are travelling by bus from Tibet to Nepal, but roads to India are badly damaged. They are now trying to reach Kathmandu airport. Alli Ilesha, an LLB graduate from Mahabubnagar, was reported safe on Thursday evening after a brief WhatsApp call to his family.

Officials at the Telangana Bhavan helpline in New Delhi said tracking NRIs has been harder than tracing state residents because they are treated as international passengers. The helpline has been flooded with calls from worried families. The missing figure may rise as coordination with local authorities continues.