Kathmandu, November 9, 2025 — The bodies of an Indian man and his teenage daughter, who went missing last month during a trip to Nepal, were found buried under snow near a monastery in the mountainous Manang district, police said on Sunday.
According to officials, 52-year-old Jignes Kumar Lallubhai Patel and his 17-year-old daughter had left the Gyalsen Hotel at Disyang on October 20, telling staff they were headed to Maleripa Monastery. When they did not return, hotel staff alerted the Nepal Mountain Rescue Training School, which began a search operation.
As initial efforts failed to trace them, a trained mountain rescue team led by DSP Hira Bahadur GC was deployed with specialized equipment. The Armed Police Force (APF) eventually recovered the bodies about 100 metres above the monastery, said APF deputy spokesperson Shailendra Thapa.
Police said it appeared that the father and daughter had reached the monastery and then ventured further uphill, possibly seeking a better view of the mountains, before being caught in harsh weather conditions.
The Patels were visiting Nepal as tourists. Their bodies were found in a snow-covered area near the Maleripa Monastery, a site often frequented by trekkers and pilgrims in the high-altitude Manang region.
Authorities said further investigations are underway, and the bodies will be handed over to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu for repatriation.
