Silchar, July 26 -- Twenty-three Assam forest officials and three accompanying villagers, who had gone missing for nearly two days while on a patrol operation along the Assam-Nagaland border, were traced safe on Sunday following a search operation conducted by the department, officials said.

The 26-member team had left for a routine patrolling and combing operation on July 23 in the remote forests around Maibong along the Dima Hasao-Karbi Anglong-Nagaland border.

The group, comprising personnel from the Langting, Manderdisa, Hatikhola and Maibong forest ranges, lost contact with authorities on July 24 after entering an area with little or no mobile network connectivity.

Forest minister Jayanta Mallabaruah on Sunday shared the informati...