Missing Surat father-daughter duo found buried under snow in Nepal

SURAT: The bodies of Surat-based teacher Jignesh Patel (52) and his teenage daughter Priyanshi (17) — who went missing during a trekking expedition in Nepal — were found buried in snow on Sunday afternoon near the Maleripa Monastery in the Manang district, officials in Nepal said.According to Armed Police Force (APF) deputy spokesperson Shailendra Thapa, the bodies were found about 100 metres above the monastery. The duo last contacted their family on Oct 21, a day after leaving for the Annapurna-3 peak.Patel, a resident of Kadod village in Bardoli taluka, left Surat on Oct 14 for the trek. After reaching Kathmandu and securing necessary permits, he and Priyanshi began their ascent from Gyalsen Hotel at Disyang on Oct 20, telling hotel staff they would visit the monastery and return the same day. However, they never came back.When the pair failed to establish contact by Oct 30, Patel’s wife Jagruti raised an alarm and contacted Bardoli MP Prabhu Vasava. Following this, the Surat district authorities coordinated with the Gujarat State Emergency Operations Centre, which alerted the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Nepal. Aerial and ground searches were launched using drones and trained rescue personnel.A special mountain rescue team led by DSP Hira Bahadur GC later located the bodies under a thick snow layer. Police suspect they may have ventured further uphill after visiting the monastery and got trapped due to heavy snowfall.Patel, an MA, BEd, was a teacher and tuition instructor for several years. His family said the duo were passionate trekkers who visited the same range last year. Priyanshi, a Class 11 student, accompanied her father on numerous treks since 2018, earning several adventure certificates.“Authorities helped us immensely through the MEA,” said Amit Mistry, Patel’s neighbour. “We request govt to help us bring both bodies to Surat at the earliest.”(With PTI inputs)