Family members of Poonam Thakkar, a Bartlett woman missing after last week’s devastating Nepal flood, remain in Kathmandu. They hope to locate her and bring her home safely. The 42-year-old embarked on a holy pilgrimage to Mount Kailash on August 20, following her oldest sister Bhumika’s journey from the previous year.
Bhumika and two cousins have traveled to Nepal, retracing Poonam’s path during the August 26 flood, her sister Gunjan stated on Wednesday. “They plan to visit the affected area, believing Poonam is still there,” Gunjan said. Hope is strong because people have been found alive since the flood, attributed to a glacier collapse in the Himalayas. The official death toll has exceeded 1,100, with nearly 4,000 missing.
Gunjan noted that relatives are actively looking at photographs of missing persons at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, ten days after the flood.
Poonam departed from Chicago on August 20 for a scheduled tour starting August 23 near the Tibet border. Family members last spoke to her by phone the day before the flood. “She was casual and shared her excitement about starting the pilgrimage,” Gunjan recounted.
Poonam, a senior manager at a major consulting firm, holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada. She worked in Canada before joining her family in Bartlett 7½ years ago. Extended family also resides in Chicago. Colleagues have offered support to her family.
Bhumika sought to leave for Nepal immediately after the flood, but travel warnings delayed her journey. With flights to Nepal now accessible, the family remains unable to move beyond Kathmandu. They maintain contact with U.S. and Canadian embassies, which provide standard responses, said Gunjan.
The family collaborates with other groups of individuals searching for missing loved ones, organizing tasks daily. Despite ongoing rain, mudslides, and power outages hindering progress, Kathmandu provides a relatively safe operational base.
Gunjan requests those reading about Poonam to hold positive thoughts and wishes for her safe return.