Himanta Biswa Sarma Speaks To 8 Assam Residents Rescued In Nepal

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he spoke to eight people from the state who have been safely rescued in Nepal after devastating flash floods hit the Himalayan country.

Efforts are continuing to trace the remaining missing persons and ensure their safe return, he said.

Sharing an update on X on Saturday, Sarma wrote, "I just spoke to eight people from Assam who have been safely rescued in Nepal, thanks to the dedicated efforts of Shri @Varun_CGCorp Ji. Pankaj Verma, Samar Bezbaruah, Gautam Das, Gopal Debnath, Soneswar Narzary, Sarbison Marak, Silva Marak and Elphison Sangma are safe and will return home tomorrow."

The development comes after the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that 10 people from Assam had been reported missing in Nepal.

Among those initially reported missing were retired Gauhati University professor Dipali Sarkar and her husband, Manash Kumar Ghosh.

An official said family members had confirmed the safety of several individuals.

"Family members have confirmed that Soneswar Narzary from Daidak village in Karbi Anglong district, Pankaj Barman and Samar Bezbaruah of Nalbari district's Arora village, and Shiva Marak, Sarbison Marak, and Elipson Sangma of West Karbi Anglong's Satgaon area are safe," the official said.

According to a list shared by Sarma earlier, two of the missing persons are Rhituopurno Brahma and Montri Basumatary from Daidak village in Karbi Anglong district.

Others on the list include Rahul Daimary from Jaipukhuri village in Golaghat district and Shatadal Nath from Doboka town in Hojai district.

The remaining three are from Guwahati: Pankaj Naug of Rukminigaon locality and Dipali Sarkar and her husband, Manash Kumar Ghosh, from the Lankeshwar area of the city.

Sarkar, a former head of Gauhati University's Physics Department, and her husband were part of a 32-member group travelling to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet when the disaster struck.

According to their Kolkata-based tour organiser, contact with the group was lost soon after the floods hit Rasuwagadhi.

Family members said they had been unable to establish contact with the couple since the disaster.

Tamajit Ghosh, Sarkar's nephew, said, "After the disaster struck, we have not been able to establish any contact with them. They have informed us that they have completed immigration formalities on the Nepal side."