Nepal floods: West Bengal opens control room; Tollywood actor among those stranded

‘In solidarity with people of Nepal’

Expressing deep concern over the tragedy, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stated that West Bengal stands in full solidarity with Nepal and asserted that the administrative channels are actively coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to verify real-time data and facilitate prompt rescue operations.

“Deeply pained by the colossal tragedy caused by catastrophic flash floods in Nepal. I extend my heartfelt condolences to all the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones in this devastating natural calamity. We stand in firm solidarity with the People of Nepal. Extremely concerned about reports of over 100 Indian visitors, mostly pilgrims on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, who are missing,” he said on X late Wednesday.

Will head to Gorakhpur today: Kharaj Mukherjee

Actor Mukherjee, his wife Protiva and their film crew, who had travelled on August 20 for a shoot, are also stranded in Nepal. Mukherjee said his team, camping in a forest amid torrential rain, plans to head to Gorakhpur later in the day by road and then fly to Kolkata on Friday.

“We were supposed to return today from Kathmandu. The tickets were non-refundable. So I told them to wrap up the shoot as quickly as possible on the 26th by any means we could leave. But by the time our shoot wrapped up, the flight tickets were fully booked. The road was blocked as well. So we had no way of reaching Kathmandu. So what could be done then? After making inquiries, I found out that it is possible to travel directly to Gorakhpur from here. That’s the only route currently open,” the actor said.

Several families from Bengal uncontactable

Several families across Bengal said dozens remain uncontactable or halted mid-journey. A 32-member team from Kolkata comprising 30 pilgrims travelling to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar alongside two staff members of Kolkata-based travel agency Cholo Jai Travels has been uncontactable since Wednesday night. The group, which left Kolkata on August 21, had reached the Nepal-China border immigration office around 8.30 am Wednesday to secure permits for Tibet when a sudden avalanche struck, instantly severing communication links.

In other areas, stranded tourists have managed to establish partial communication. A bus carrying 65 tourists from Arambagh that left for Nepal on August 24 remains halted at Chetan Park, roughly 120 kilometers away from the disaster zone. Relatives grew anxious when phone lines dropped Wednesday morning, but limited contact was re-established by evening.

Kolkata resident Arnab Kumar Datta reported that his mother and mother-in-law were safe after initial panic. “They left for Nepal on August 24, but the next day we came to know that there was a flash flood in Nepal. We were quite worried. We were unable to contact them, but anyhow, yesterday we succeeded in contacting them. They are presently lodged in a hotel at Pokhara valley; the place is more than 100 km away from the affected area,” he said.

West Bengal minister Agnimitra Paul also expressed condolences to those who lost their lives in the natural calamity. “My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected,” she said.

State authorities continue to monitor the ground situation as rescue and relief operations proceed across the affected regions.

According to the latest reports, more than 800 people are missing, and 177 bodies have been recovered after a massive flash flood, triggered by glacier collapse, struck the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday.