The last 24 hours have been some of the worst the Ghosh family has been through. There’s been no word on Ramprasad Ghosh since last evening, and with each passing hour, the Ghosh family’s anxiety grows.

“It’s been more than 24 hours. We have neither been able to speak to him nor received any information about him,” Ramprasad’s sister-in-law says anxiously.

The 41-year-old Ranchi man is one of 288 people missing after flash floods swept through parts of Nepal. The flash floods, triggered by an earthquake and an avalanche, have killed 359 people and left 1,500 people missing.

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Of the 288 missing Indians, 73 — including Ramprasad — were working on the Trishuli One hydroelectric site when the floods struck.

For the family, passing time brings more dread. “We spoke to him last on Tuesday,” Ditya says. “There’s been no contact since.”

Ramprasad had been working on the project since last year. Back home, the family — his 75-year-old father, Ranjit Kumar Ghosh, his older brother and his brother’s family — have been in touch with the Jharkhand migrant workers’ cell and have also contacted the Indian Embassy.

Shikha Lakra, head of the migrant workers’ control room, said there was no information yet on Ramprasad’s whereabouts. “We have written to them [the Indian consular authorities in Nepal] seeking an update,” she said. “He is the only one who’s untraceable in Jharkhand. The department had spoken to his family.”

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The family, meanwhile, is now making plans to travel to Nepal.

“We cannot just sit at home. We will leave tomorrow and see what we can do there. We will go and find him,” Ditya says, while his father, Ranjit Kumar Ghosh, adds: “Our only appeal is that he should be found as soon as possible and brought back home safely.”