Couple from Assam missing in rain-hit Himachal Pradesh

According to sources, for the last 72 hours, the family has had zero contact with Devasish and Shikha. The couple had gone on a trip to Himachal Pradesh on July 6.

Dispur (Assam): Amid torrential rains and landslides in Himachal Pradesh, a couple from Assam who went on a trip to the hill state are reported missing for several days now, official sources said on Tuesday. The missing couple Devasish Rajkhowa and Shikha Phukan are residents of Parvatipur in the Sonari town of Assam's Charaideo district.

According to sources, for the last 72 hours, the family has had zero contact with Devasish and Shikha. The couple had gone on a trip to Himachal Pradesh on July 6. The family members have not been able to establish any contact with the couple after the weather started to deteriorate in the hill state.

The family only know that the missing couple had stayed in Mandi district even as they urged Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to contact the Himachal Pradesh government and take measures to trace and rescue the duo.

Pertinently, around 300 people, mostly tourists, are stuck in camps at Himachal's Chandertal, located at an altitude of 14,100 feet, following rain and snowfall in the region. A helicopter from the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been requisitioned to airlift the tourists stranded at Chandertal in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh while a rescue team from Kaza has reached Kunzum Top and is just eight kilometres away from the lake, Principal Secretary, Revenue, Onkar Chand Sharma said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, rains have stopped in Himachal since Monday evening and the rescue operations and road restoration work have gained pace as the water level in the rivers has subsided.