Kanpur: A Kanpur-born couple living in the US has been unreachable since Aug 26 during the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra amid reports of devastation in Nepal and Tibet, prompting their family to seek help from the administration to trace them.Pankaj Mishra, 55, a software engineer, and his wife Ragini Mishra, 52, both US citizens originally from Kanpur, had travelled from the US to Nepal and Tibet on a religious pilgrimage.On Monday, Ragini’s brother, Praveen Dwivedi, met Kanpur DM Jitendra Pratap Singh and submitted an application seeking assistance in locating the couple. Dwivedi said the family had also approached the Prime Minister’s Office but had not received any information.According to Dwivedi, the couple left the US on Aug 18 and offered prayers at Pashupatinath Mandir in Kathmandu on Aug 20 before visiting other places in Nepal. He last spoke to Ragini on Aug 25, when she said they were proceeding on the Mansarovar Yatra. She told him the journey involved a 52-kilometre trek and that mobile connectivity could be affected.Communication with the couple ceased at around 9 am on Aug 26. Following reports of devastation in Nepal and Tibet the same day, family members became increasingly concerned and have since been unable to establish contact despite repeated attempts.Dwivedi, who lives on P Road, said both families were worried about the couple’s safety. Pankaj’s brother, Dr Anil Mishra, and their parents, Rajendra and Suman Mishra, live in E Block, Shyamnagar.Ragini and Pankaj were married in Shyamnagar in 1998 and moved to the United States around 12 years ago. Their son also lives and studies there.The DM said Dwivedi has provided complete details about his sister and brother-in-law. As both were originally from Kanpur, all possible assistance would be extended through the govt, he said. Administrative efforts would be made to trace the couple in Nepal and support their family.
