Missing Nepali racer found in Paris
Monday, 11 May 2009
Reuters reported today that Nelpali ski racer Uttam Rayamajhi, 17, who has been missing since disappearing from the team’s base in the French Alps on April 27, has been found in Paris. Social networking website Facebook played a part in his discovery.
Rayamajhi, who disappeared the day after joining a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses, had no money or extra clothing with him when he vanished in the middle of a heavy rainstorm last month.
"(He) has been discovered on the streets of Paris after members of the public recognized him from a Facebook campaign launched to find him," the team said in a statement.
"The teenager had been living rough after walking several hundred kilometers across France surviving through the kindness of local people ... Eventually a stranger alerted him to the Facebook campaign and showed him the news on the Internet.
"Over 400 friends and well-wishers joined the (Facebook) campaign in less than a week."
According to team manager Richard Morley, just prior to his disappearance Rayamajhi had been distresses over recent disputes between the ski team and the Nepal Olympic Committee. Morley told investigators he suspected the teenager would head for Paris after disappearing.
"Uttam agreed to return to the team base when he learned that his disappearance was jeopardizing the funding and participation of teammate Shyam Dhakal at the (2010) Vancouver Winter Olympics," the team told Reuters Monday.
skiracing.com
