The family of pilgrim Bavika Ramji continues to hope for a miracle while awaiting information about her whereabouts following the floods in Nepal. Bavika Ramji, aged 43, was heading to Mount Kailash when sudden floods struck near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26.
Her relatives reported that they provided DNA samples and are still waiting for confirmation of her location. Ramji, a businesswoman from Kugompo (formerly East London), was traveling with the tour operator Kailash Journeys to undertake the sacred circuit around Mount Kailash in Tibet.
She was one of six South African nationals who remain missing after the landslide on August 26. Ramji's brother, Bhavesh Ramji, reported on Thursday that she set off on the pilgrimage on August 23. He noted that she was very excited about the upcoming deep spiritual journey, which had been a long-held dream of hers.
Updates from Nepal Police
Bhavesh said that she was supposed to return home by Sunday. On Monday, the Nepal police provided them with significant new information from the Chinese side (Gyirong), but the status of his sister's disappearance has not yet been confirmed. According to the Nepal police report, Chinese authorities are now using fingerprints and tattoos to identify victims, and nearly 1000 personal belongings have been found from the disaster zone.
The report also mentioned that foreign diplomats continue to insist on more active information exchange, including clarity on whether video footage or facial recognition materials from the port are being used for identification. This is important for Bavika, as it remains unclear whether the Kailash Journeys group was approaching Timur-Rasuwagadhi or had already reached or crossed the Gyirong border point when the flood occurred.
Bhavesh added that at present, the family cannot do much to aid the search as the flooded area is under the control of the army and police. They provided DNA samples a week ago and are praying for a miracle. He concluded that this period has been traumatic for their family.