A missed call, then silence: family seeks news of missing worker in Nepal floods
A Jharkhand family waits in anguish for news of Mahendra Vishwakarma, missing since flash floods hit a Nepal hydropower project, killing hundreds.
A single unanswered phone call has become the focus of a family's desperate wait in Jharkhand's Palamu district. Mahendra Vishwakarma, a 50-year-old mechanical fitter working at a hydropower project in Nepal, last contacted his family at 8 am on August 25. That call went unanswered, and his phone has been unreachable ever since.
His younger brother, Vikas, said the family has heard nothing from him since that morning. "We could not answer the call for some reason. After that, his calls stopped coming, and his number also stopped connecting. Maybe he was calling to tell us about the flood," Vikas said.
Vishwakarma is among hundreds of Indians reported missing after flash floods, triggered by a glacier collapse, devastated parts of Nepal and Tibet. The disaster has claimed at least 626 lives, with thousands still unaccounted for. Vishwakarma had been employed with ANDRITZ Hydropower since April and was stationed at the 216 MW Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project site when the disaster struck.
His wife, Kalawati, expressed the family's anguish. "We don't know where he is or what condition he is in," she said. The family has approached the local police station in Mohammadganj, as well as political representatives and government officials, for help. Shikha Lakra, who heads the Jharkhand Migrant Workers Control Room, confirmed the case is still classified as "missing."
An Indian representative of ANDRITZ Hydropower, coordinating with teams in Nepal, confirmed that authorities are searching for Vishwakarma. In a statement, the company said several of its direct employees and contracted personnel were at the site during the disaster. While many have been rescued and moved to safer locations with help from Nepalese authorities and the Indian Embassy, some colleagues remain unaccounted for. The company has released helpline numbers for families seeking information.
With no news, the family is seeking the Jharkhand government's assistance to travel to Nepal. The uncertainty is compounded by their dependence on Vishwakarma's income. "He is the only earning member of the family. He has four school-going children and elderly parents. We cannot even think about it. Wherever God has kept him, we hope he's safe," Kalawati said.