Two Spanish tourists have gone missing while trekking on the famous Ghorepani trail in the Annapurna Circuit. The incident occurred on Sunday en route from Tikhedhunga in Annapurna Rural Municipality-9, Kaski, to Ghorepani via Ulleri. The missing individuals have been identified as a male, Erik Kasanovas, and a female, Molass Missy, according to Bharatman Gurung, spokesperson for Annapurna Rural Municipality.
The tourists’ backpacks were found abandoned near the Bhurungdi River bridge on Sunday evening, prompting an extensive search on Monday, which yielded no results. It is suspected that the river may have swept away the tourists.
“It’s possible they were swept away while walking along the old trail,” spokesperson Gurung stated. The tourists had registered their names at the ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) checkpoint in Birethanti, informing the staff of their plan to trek to Ghorepani. Yam Bahadur Gurung, the head of the ACAP Birethanti checkpoint, confirmed that the tourists registered their names on Sunday morning.
Spokesperson Gurung further added, “There is a beautiful waterfall near where their bags were found. They might have fallen into the river while taking photos.” During the search, police, local representatives, and residents discovered two trekking sticks near the waterfall but no other clues. A team of divers is expected to thoroughly search the river on Tuesday. The embassy has been notified of the incident.
