VIDISHA: The family of 50-year-old Swati Bagrecha, a Toronto-based engineer who went missing near the Nepal-Tibet border following devastating flash floods, is desperately awaiting news of her whereabouts, four days after losing contact with her.
Swati had left Delhi on August 8 as part of a 77-member group of the Isha Foundation undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. She last spoke to her family around 9 am on August 26, when she had reached the Nepal-Tibet border for immigration formalities.
According to the family, her mobile is still ringing, but she is not answering the calls. “We are extremely worried about her safety.”
Swati’s 14-year-old daughter Anushka had stayed back with her elder sister in Mumbai.
The flash floods struck the Rasuwa region after a sudden surge in the Bhotekoshi river. The floodwaters later flowed into the Trishuli and Gandak river systems, affecting several downstream areas.
Swati’s brother Prashant Bagrecha said location logs suggested that her mobile phone was active somewhere near the Chinese border. However, tracing the device has been difficult as the phone number is registered in Toronto.
The family has approached both the Canadian and Indian embassies in Nepal, seeking assistance in locating Swati and ensuring her safety.
Following the intervention of local MLA Mukesh Tandon, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also spoke to the family and initiated diplomatic and administrative efforts to speed up the search, the family said.
As the search continues, Swati’s family remains hopeful that she is safe and will soon be reunited with her daughter.