US tourist goes missing while trekking near Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh

A US tourist on a meditation retreat has gone missing while hiking in the Dhauladhar foothills near Dharamshala’s Naddi village.

Maxmillioin Lorenzo arrived in Dharamshala in October and was last seen there on November 8, according to Kangra deputy commissioner Nipun Jindal.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Kangra police are looking for him, he said.

Lorenzo had been staying at Ara Camps in Naddi village for over a fortnight, hiking daily to Gunna Mata Temple, a 4.5-kilometer trek through dense forest.

On the night of the full moon, November 8, Lorenzo went on a hike to meditate in a remote location.

“He last texted the owner of the camp on November 8, informing him that he had lost his way. The police were informed after that,” said Kangra superintendent of police Khushal Chand Sharma.

He stated that the police discovered two diaries belonging to Lorenzo at the camping site, in which he detailed his meditation experience. However, very little is known about him.

“We have also deployed a dog squad and drone cameras to trace him. Local trekkers and trainees of the Regional Mountaineering Centre at McLeodganj have volunteered for the search operation,” he said.