Bengaluru/Kathmandu: Seventeen people from Karnataka, among them Infosys Public Services CEO Lax Gopisetty, continued to be untraceable in Nepal on Saturday as rescue teams struggled to locate those missing after severe floods and landslides caused widespread damage and disrupted road, air and communication links.
The Karnataka government said details of the 17 people were still unavailable. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) reported that the death toll in the disaster linked to flooding in the Bhote Koshi area had climbed to 626. As many as 2,426 people were still missing, according to an ANI post on X.
“We are tracing people…. many are not tracked. Information about 17 persons needs to be obtained; it is not available,” Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said.
Infosys Executive Unreachable
Infosys confirmed on Friday that Gopisetty, the head of its public-sector subsidiary, could not be contacted after the floods struck Nepal.
The company said Gopisetty had travelled to the region for personal reasons and that its immediate concern was to ascertain his safety.
“We can confirm that our colleague Lax Gopisetty, who was visiting the region in a personal capacity, is currently not reachable,” Infosys said in a statement.
The IT major said it was coordinating with the relevant authorities to collect information and make contact with Gopisetty. It added that it was in touch with his family and extending every possible assistance.
“We remain in close communication with the family and are providing all necessary support during this difficult time. Our thoughts are with Lax and all those affected by this tragedy,” Infosys said.
The company also expressed deep sorrow over the destruction caused by the floods and the loss of lives, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Infosys Public Services is a subsidiary of Infosys and focuses largely on delivering technology services to public-sector organisations in the United States and Canada.
Chitwan Toll Touches 233
Meanwhile, Chitwan has reported the largest number of deaths, with authorities recovering 233 bodies and human remains. Nawalparasi East recorded 158 deaths, while Nuwakot reported 51, Gorkha 48, Nawalparasi West 47, Dhading 45, Tanahun 31 and Rasuwa 13, The Statesman reported.
The missing include 27 Nepal Police personnel, 45 members of the Nepal Army, 13 personnel of the Armed Police Force, 15 Customs Office employees and four Immigration Office officials.
Rasuwa accounted for 562 of the missing people, while Nuwakot reported 115, according to data collected by District Emergency Operation Centres. In addition, 933 people connected with hydropower projects were reported missing. Makwanpur recorded another 65 missing persons.
Foreign nationals and Nepali citizens based overseas have also been caught up in the disaster. The NDRRMA said reports indicated that 517 foreign nationals and 127 Nepali citizens living abroad were missing. Three people associated with Langtang National Park were also reported unaccounted for.
Rescue Efforts Continue
At least 101 injured people were being treated at hospitals, while medical and surgical teams had been sent to support the emergency response.
Authorities said 4,451 people had been rescued so far. The figure includes 191 people brought out of hydropower tunnels and 517 people evacuated by helicopter on Saturday. Rescue teams have also evacuated 129 foreign nationals.
Sixteen helicopters, operated by the Nepal Army and private agencies, have completed 99 sorties as part of the rescue operation.
The floods damaged telephone and other telecommunications infrastructure in several locations. Of the 198 affected telephone towers, 145 had been repaired and returned to service.
A total of 15,224 security personnel were involved in search, rescue and relief operations. The deployment comprised 4,811 Nepal Police personnel, 6,755 Nepal Army personnel and 3,658 members of the Armed Police Force.