Dubai, Apr 27: As many as six holidaymakers from the UAE are still missing following a powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Nepal, the worst one in the country in 81 years.
Family members of the six boys, who landed in Kathmandu on Friday morning for a week-long vacation, have sent out an appeal on social media, asking people with information or whereabouts of the boys to come forth.
The last picture sent by the six boys a day before the earthquake struck in Nepal.
Their last known whereabouts was their hotel, The Last Resort, in the Sindhupalchok district where the boys checked in on Friday afternoon.
According to family members, the group had booked a bungee jumping session for Saturday morning; the six of them left the resort on the morning of April 25 and haven’t been heard from since.
Thanzeem Rawther, sister to Thanweer Rawther [aka Thanwi Ibn Kassim] ,who is one of the six missing, spoke to Emirates 24|7 saying: “None of us have slept for the past 24 hours. We are just praying that they are safe and find a way to reach word out to us.”
Rawther stated that they were able to contact the resort after several attempts and were informed that all guests have been moved to a safe location, following the earthquake.
“But we don’t know if the boys are a part of this, because the last thing the hotel is aware of was that the boys decided to go trekking in the morning, ahead of their bungee jump adventure. They could not confirm if the boys did return or not,” Rawther added.
Aged between 23-26 years, along with Thanweer, the other missing UAE residents include Hadil Haneef, Mohammed Azhar Ali, Mazhar Mohideen, Sunil Gandhi and Nihad Ahmad. Among them, Mohammed Azhar Ali hails from Kasaragod district.
Rawther continued: “We can’t believe this is happening. They have three local contact numbers between them, but none of them are reachable. Some of them who grew up together. They were so looking forward to this holiday.
“All of us have created a family WhatsApp group where we keep abreast of any updates or emergency hotlines that we can possibly contact for information.”
She further stated that all names had been supplied to Google Person Finder and registered with the helplines and the army relief camps.
“We’ve heard from the relief camp that there’s a group of trekkers that is making its way south to Kathmandu; we hope it’s them,” she added.
Meanwhile, a couple, Tarun Gulati and Ritu Gargya, who were also supposed to go bungee jumping through The Last Resort and were reported as missing, have been located, with a family member posting an update that the couple was safe.
News wire AFP has confirmed the death toll from Saturday’s devastating earthquake has killed at least 2,152 people, citing a Nepal government official.
Saturday’s 7.9 magnitude temblor struck Nepal before noon and was most severely felt in the capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley. Aftershocks rippled through the region Sunday, spreading fear and panic, the biggest of the aftershocks was magnitude 6.7 and sent people running for open ground.
Meanwhile, families of the six missing UAE boys have received unconfirmed reports that a group from Dubai is currently secure with other guests staying at The Last Resort when the earthquake struck Nepal on Saturday.
Tabassum Kassim, sister to the missing Thanweer Rawther [aka Thanwi Ibn Kassim], provided an update saying: “A friend got in touch with the owner of The Last Resort who confirmed that five-six boys from Dubai were staying at the resort.
“They have now been moved to a nearby village and will move towards Kathmandu as the resort is 100km away. We really believe this is them, but are awaiting confirmation on their names…”
The six UAE residents missing in Nepal were last seen in the Sindhupalchok district where the boys were also booked for a bungee jumping session.
Kassim further added: “The bungee jumping instructor was able to identify the names of one of the boys, Sunil Gandhi. He confirmed Sunil’s physical features as well and said that they are in a village near the resort with the other guests.”
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