Family awaits word on mother-daughter missing in Nepal floods

Rourkela: More than a month after a 25-year-old Odisha woman and her two-year-old daughter went missing in flash floods in Nepal on Aug 26, their family is still awaiting information from Nepal authorities, despite DNA samples being collected for identification. Kamma Venkatesh (22), of Kullunda Jamtikra village under Atabira block in Bargarh district and the younger brother of missing woman Gunnam Sai Bindu, travelled to Kathmandu last month to provide a DNA sample sought by officials.Venkatesh said Bindu had video-called him at around 8.28am on Aug 26 and spoken for nearly six minutes, even showing him her daughter, Harixa. A few minutes later, the flash floods struck. The family learnt of their disappearance the following day from Bindu’s husband, Gunnam Jaykrishna (38). Venkatesh’s sample was collected in Kathmandu on Sept 4 for comparison with unidentified remains recovered after the disaster. “Nearly a month has passed, but we have received no update from the Nepal govt. My mother is heartbroken,” he said.Jaykrishna survived the floods while working at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district. He was on higher ground when the floods hit, but Bindu and Harixa, who were at home in a nearby village, remain untraceable. Jaykrishna was airlifted to Kathmandu on Aug 27 and stayed back to search for them with company support. His travel documents were washed away. He returned to Bargarh on Sept 5. His elder brother Dinesh Choudhury said the family remained heartbroken and hoped for a breakthrough.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bhubaneswar | Silver Rate in Bhubaneswar | Bank Holidays in Bhubaneswar | Public Holidays in Bhubaneswar | Petrol Price in Bhubaneswar | Diesel Price in Bhubaneswar | CNG Price in Bhubaneswar | LPG Price in BhubaneswarStay updated with the latest Bhubaneswar news. Download the TOI App.