Kankrebihar: Thirteen people from Jajarkot district have gone missing after being swept away by floods in the Harsil area of Uttarkashi, in India’s Uttarakhand state, on Tuesday afternoon. All the missing individuals are residents of Kushe Rural Municipality-2, according to local authorities.

In a press statement issued on Thursday, Kushe Rural Municipality Chairman Harichandra Basnet said the missing were locals who had traveled to India for work. “Those who went missing after the floods have not been contacted yet. Their families have reported that they have been unable to reach them,” he stated.

Chairman Basnet urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to initiate search efforts for the missing. He also noted that residents from other wards of Kushe Rural Municipality, who were working in the same area, have also not been in contact since the disaster.

Jajarkot Chief District Officer Mekh Bahadur Mangrati confirmed the situation, adding that his office has instructed all local levels and police stations in the district to collect the names of residents who had gone to work in Harsil. “I have also informed the Home Ministry accordingly,” he said.

According to Indian news agency ANI, landslides triggered by the floods have blocked roads, hampering rescue operations in the affected areas.