Hope is turning into anguish for families waiting helplessly for any word from 10 pilgrims from Thane in Maharashtra who remain untraceable after flash floods tore through the Nepal-China border, sweeping away checkpoints and severing communication.

While two tourists returned home safely, the remaining 10 pilgrims, who were on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, have been missing since floodwaters struck near the Timure Chinese immigration checkpoint on August 26, destroying local communication infrastructure.