Nepal flash floods: 60 of 106 stranded Maharashtra tourists to reach Mumbai on September 1

Mumbai: Around 60 of the 106 Maharashtra tourists stranded in Nepal are expected to reach Mumbai on Tuesday morning, with the remaining 46 likely to return on Wednesday, state government authorities said on Monday, offering some relief to families anxiously awaiting the safe return of their relatives after the devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border.

The planned arrivals come as the state and central governments continue to coordinate evacuation of Maharashtra residents stranded in Nepal and the adjoining Tibet region, even as the fate of around 60 Maharashtra tourists remains a major concern.

The latest state figures need to be read alongside an earlier official assessment that 404 Maharashtra residents had been confirmed safe but stranded in the Nepal-Tibet region. Of these, authorities had established contact with 338 people, while 60 remained untraceable. The numbers have been changing as stranded groups are contacted, evacuated and their identities reconciled by state and central control rooms.

69 cross into NepalAdding to the return movement, 69 Maharashtra citizens who had been stranded on the China side of the Nepal-Tibet route crossed into Nepal through the China-Nepal border and were scheduled to reach Mumbai on Monday, according to a report published by TOI.

Their movement was facilitated amid continuing coordination between Indian authorities and agencies on both sides of the border.

For families, however, the biggest worry remains the pilgrims and tourists who have not been traced.

Among the most closely watched cases is that of Mumbai doctor and mountaineer Dr Milind Chitale and his wife Janvi, who travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage and have remained out of contact with their family. Dr Chitale, who has around three decades of mountaineering experience, was leading a Maharashtra group.

As reported earlier, 66 Maharashtra pilgrims associated with the Hills and Trails group led by Dr Chitale remained unaccounted for after the flash flood. They had travelled in three buses operated by Richa Tours and Travels, and included people from Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur and other parts of the state.

Officials and rescue teams have been trying to establish their whereabouts, but the scale of destruction, damaged communication links and difficult terrain have made the operation challenging. Families have been urging authorities to provide verified, person-wise information rather than relying on unconfirmed messages circulating on social media.

48 already helped homeSeparately,

Shiv Sena spokesperson

Sanjay Nirupam said on Monday that the party had facilitated the return of 48 Maharashtra tourists stranded in Nepal. The rescue team, led by Shiv Sena youth leader Rahul Kanal, has been operating in Nepal for the past four days, he said.

Of the 48, 37 were Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims who were taken by road from Kathmandu to Gorakhpur and then flown to Pune on August 29.

The remaining 11 were students from Peth taluka in Nashik district. The team established contact with them through social media, arranged food and medicines and facilitated their return to Nashik, Nirupam said.

The Shiv Sena team is also attempting to establish contact with the untraceable Maharashtra pilgrims, he said.

Nagpur families get relief, but two remain missingIn another major relief for Maharashtra families, 102 Nagpur tourists stranded in Nepal have returned home, according to reports from Nagpur. However, an elderly Nagpur couple, Satish Patankar, 68, and his wife Rekha, 64, continue to be missing. Their last confirmed sighting was at the Gyirong Immigration Facility, according to family members and officials.

The continuing uncertainty has left families closely monitoring every official update from the Maharashtra government, Ministry of External Affairs and rescue agencies.

The disaster has also triggered a massive international rescue operation. In Nepal, search teams backed by Indian and Chinese experts are working in flood-hit areas, including around hydropower projects where workers are feared trapped in tunnels.

For relatives in Mumbai and across Maharashtra, the priority now is not merely evacuation but verified confirmation of the whereabouts and safety of every untraceable person, followed by their earliest possible return home.