Women reportedly missing inside Shuklaphanta National Park contact families

Fourteen women who disappeared while gathering mushrooms in Shuklaphanta National Park have been located and are safe, authorities confirmed. The group, from Bagphanta in Kanchanpur district, had been missing since Sunday evening, sparking a search operation. The Nepali Army, along with Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force, mobilized resources to find the women. Prakash Ghimire, Battalion Chief of the Ranasingh Battalion, stated that all available mechanisms were used for the search. He confirmed that the women had recently come into contact with their families. Earlier, a separate group of three women from Beldadi rural municipality, also reported missing since Sunday, was rescued by a security team. These women had also entered the park without official permission to collect wild mushrooms. The incident highlights the risks associated with entering national parks without authorization, even for seemingly routine activities like foraging.

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We mobilised all available mechanisms for a comprehensive search operation and received reports a short while ago that they had come into contact with their families. All of them are said to be safe.