The fate of 17 Indian nationals, who were in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir when the October 8 earthquake struck, was still not known, Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed told Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Out of the 54 Indian passengers who were on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus on the day of the quake, 36 have returned, he said in a written reply.

While the death of one person has been confirmed, the fate of the remaining 17 people is not known, he said.

He added that the government has requested the Pakistan government to find out about them.