A Spanish tourist, who went missing during a trek in the Annapurna region on August 24, remains unaccounted for, despite extensive search efforts.
The tourist, 32-year-old Molass Missy, disappeared from the Annapurna Rural Municipality-9 area, near Tikhedhunga in the Kaski district. While the body of another missing tourist, 37-year-old Erik Kasanovas, was discovered two days later in the Bhurungdi River, there has been no sign of Messi, according to Yam Bahadur Gurung, the in-charge at the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Birethanti checkpoint.
Since the incident, a team of divers from the Armed Police Force has been searching for a 5 km stretch of the river from Birethanti to Mouja Khola. “We have been searching the riverbanks and other suspected areas since the day the tourist went missing, but there is still no information,” said Gurung.
The tourists had registered at the ACAP Birethanti checkpoint, indicating they were headed toward Ghorepani. Despite informing local hoteliers, representatives of the rural municipality, police, and villagers, Missy has yet to be located.
Two unattended backpacks were found along the trekking route, confirming the disappearance of the tourists. It is believed that the tourists were taking photographs near a waterfall by the Bhurungdi River when Missy slipped and fell into the river. Two aluminum trekking sticks were found near the waterfall, further supporting this theory.
Tourism experts have expressed concern over tourists trekking without guides, which can lead to such incidents. Krishna Acharya, president of the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN) Gandaki, stated, “Tourists trekking without guides often face difficulties, get lost, or meet with accidents. Foreign tourists must hire guides, but this rule is frequently ignored, leading to problems.” The missing Spanish tourist was not accompanied by a guide during the trek.
