Agonizing Wait: Families Appeal for Help as 11 US Citizens Remain Missing After Nepal Floods
New Delhi: A promise of a heartfelt video call to mark the full moon has transformed into a desperate, agonizing vigil for families in Delhi and beyond. Anil Goyal, a US citizen and former World Bank employee, is among 11 individuals of Indian origin who have vanished in the wake of Nepal’s catastrophic flooding.
The group, which includes several high-profile professionals, was last heard from while passing through the Ruswa Garhi immigration centre on the China-Nepal border.
A Tragic Turn of Events
Anil Goyal, a seasoned Himalayan trekker and marathon runner who moved to the United States from Delhi in 1993, had been leading the group on a spiritual pilgrimage to the sacred Mount Kailash. According to his brother-in-law, Vipin Gupta, the last contact took place on August 25.
“He sounded very happy,” Gupta told NDTV. “He had promised to make a video call to all of us on August 27, the day of the full moon.”
That call never came. While the group successfully completed their immigration formalities at the Ruswa Garhi center on August 26, they seemingly disappeared into the rugged landscape shortly thereafter. Digital records indicate that Goyal’s phone location has been traced to the border crossing, but there has been no further communication or movement since.
High-Profile Professionals Among the Missing
The list of the missing includes a broad spectrum of professionals, highlighting the scale of the tragedy. Among those identified are Infosys executives Lakshminath Gopishetty and Srinivas Sudhir, along with several Canada-based individuals of Indian origin, including Mahendra Gupta, Keshav Rao, Venkat, Venkat Bala Subramanyam, Vivek Srivastava, Sudhindra, and Kirti Acharya, as well as Nepali mountaineer Chet Bhatta.
The disappearance has triggered a massive search for answers. Families of the missing have rallied together, signing a formal petition addressed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, pleading for immediate diplomatic intervention to expedite search and rescue operations in the flood-ravaged region.
A Community in Shock
The tragedy has left loved ones struggling to reconcile the sudden silence with the group’s experience. Friends and family members of another missing individual, Vinod Goyal, noted that he was an experienced pilgrim who had completed the Kailash Mansarovar journey twice before. He was reportedly already scheduled for a subsequent trip in mid-September, underscoring the meticulous planning that went into these travels.
As local authorities and international agencies grapple with the aftermath of the Nepal floods, the families remain in a state of suspended hope. With the search area spanning difficult, disaster-hit terrain, loved ones are now calling for coordinated action from both the Indian and US governments to bring the pilgrims home.
For now, the phone that was meant to broadcast prayers from the mountain remains silent, leaving families to hold onto the hope that their loved ones will be found soon.
