Fourteen women who entered Shuklaphanta National Park in Sudurpaschim Province to forage for wild mushrooms have gone missing, prompting a search operation by police and the Nepali Army.

The women entered the park at around 2pm on Sunday but had not returned or made contact with their families by Monday morning, according to the District Police Office in Kanchanpur.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Tek Bahadur Rawat said police, along with Nepali Army personnel deployed for the park’s security, are continuing search efforts inside the protected area.

The missing women are residents of Bhimdatta Municipality-19 and Bedkot Municipality-10 in Kanchanpur district. They entered the park in two separate groups, one comprising five women and the other nine, police said.

Jogaram Chaudhary, ward chair of Bhimdatta Municipality-19, said three of the women are from Chatahari in Bedkot Municipality, while the remaining 11 are from Bagphanta in Bhimdatta Municipality.

He added that several of the missing women belong to the same family.

Authorities have not yet determined what caused the group to lose contact, and the search operation is ongoing.