Marco Ratto, the jeweler from Rapallo missing after the devastating flood that hit Nepal, was in Timuré, in the Rasuwa district, on the evening of August 25, on the eve of the flood that overwhelmed the area. The reconstruction emerges from the intersection of information disseminated by Leaf Holidays Treks & Expeditions, the Nepalese agency that organized Ratto’s trip, and by the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (Taan), the trade association of Nepalese trekking agencies, of which Leaf Holidays is part.
In total there are three Italians about whom we have no news. There are also Patrizia Marziale and Luca Barachini. They are Italian-Swiss citizens and live in Lugano. They were not in the Leaf Holidays group, they were on a traveling trip between Tibet and Nepal. In a post shared on Facebook Marziale recounted their journey in twelve stages, from Lhasa to the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu. However, Valentina Piccinini from Turin and the Tuscan photographer Stefano Lotumolo were saved.
Ratto’s last position
Leaf Holidays published an appeal for the 55 missing members of the group, accompanied by photographs and the names of people who were no longer heard from. Marco Ratto also appears in the released material, indicated as the only Italian in the group.
From what emerged, tourists and staff members had spent the night of August 25 in Timuré, in Rasuwagadhi, waiting to cross the Chinese border the following day. According to Gopal Thapa, owner of Leaf Holidays Treks & Expeditions, the group had reached the crossing between Nepal and China and, after having completed the procedures on the Nepalese side, was waiting for the necessary formalities to continue towards Tibet.
The Farnesina had already confirmed on 27 August that Ratto was among the missing Italians and that he was leaving Nepal towards Tibet.
The budget
Meanwhile it’s yesbringing the death toll to at least 752 deaths. This was announced by the Nepalese National Authority for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, whose previous toll spoke of 734 deaths. The agency also updated the number of missing people upwards, speaking of 2,502 missing, compared to 2,498 in the previous budget.