In a tragic turn of events, the body of one of the two Spanish tourists who went missing from Tikhadhunga, Annapurna Rural Municipality-9, Kaski, has been found. The tourists, identified as 37-year-old Erik Kasanovas and 32-year-old Molass Missy, were last seen on Sunday while trekking from Ulleri to Ghorepani.
According to Bharatman Gurung, the spokesperson for Annapurna Rural Municipality, Erik’s body was discovered approximately one kilometer downstream from Mouja Khola, trapped between rocks in the Bhurungdi River. Despite the ongoing search efforts, the whereabouts of Molas remain unknown.
A search operation involving the Armed Police Force, Nepal Police, local representatives, tourism entrepreneurs, and residents had been launched early in the morning. The missing tourists had registered their trekking details at the Birethanti checkpoint of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) on Bhadra 9th, indicating their intention to head towards Ghorepani.
Concerns were raised when two unclaimed backpacks were found along the trail later that evening, prompting authorities to initiate a search. The backpacks were confirmed to belong to the missing tourists after being examined at the Birethanti Police Post.
It is suspected that the tourists may have fallen into the Bhurungdi River while taking photos near a waterfall along the trekking route. Despite an extensive search of the area surrounding the waterfall and riverbanks on Monday, they could not be located. Two aluminum trekking poles were found near the waterfall, further supporting this theory.
Yam Bahadur Gurung, in charge of the Birethanti checkpoint of ACAP, confirmed that the search for the missing woman would continue on Wednesday. The Spanish embassy has been informed of the situation. The search teams remain committed to finding Molas and bringing closure to this tragic incident.
