A devastating landslide and flood tore through steep mountain gorges near the Nepal-China border and surged downstream along a river, wiping out entire villages. Hundreds have died, and more than 1,300 people are missing, including 90 Americans, according to a CNN report.
The missing include two members of the Ahuja family — American citizens Deepak Ahuja, 60, and Madhu Ahuja, 57. The couple’s son-in-law, Akash Mahtani, told NDTV that the couple had traveled from the U.S. for pilgrimage purposes with Isha Sacred Walks, which confirmed they were at the Gyirong immigration facility in Tibet when the flood hit.
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The pair were returning from the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra as part of Group S3, the 26th travel group, when extreme weather struck the region. The couple’s family is now asking for help to locate them. However, the floods have disrupted telecommunications, power supplies and local road networks, making rescue operations difficult.
Meanwhile, another Indian American, Shashidharan Sreedharan, has spent the past two days trying to find his wife, Rekha, and their 14-year-old daughter, Rashi, who were returning from their Mount Kailash pilgrimage when the floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border region.
“We are desperately waiting for any good news about their whereabouts,” Sreedharan told ANI, saying the family last spoke to them on Aug. 26.
In Mumbai, Shekhar Agarwal told CNN about his Indian American sister, Rekha Shashidharan, and her daughter, 14-year-old Rashi Shashidharan. “This is the crucial golden hour,” he told CNN, adding that the next two to three days will be critical for “quick action” to find those injured or missing. He urged authorities to share information promptly with families.
Hikmat Singh Ayer, CEO and senior director of the Nepal Tourism Board, told CBS News’ Arshad R. Zargar on Thursday that at least 65 Americans were among the missing foreign nationals in the nation. In a subsequent update, the tourism board said 27 foreign nationals had been rescued from the flood zone in the Rasuwa district, including two U.S. nationals identified as a man and woman in their 50s.
In the U.S., Dr. Radhika Sharma has been using social media to appeal for information about her parents, Ramesh Sharma, 65, and Neelam Sharma, 64, both U.S. citizens who went silent mid-pilgrimage.
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Meanwhile, Ritvick Rangu in Virginia has been trying to reach his father since Wednesday. His family has compiled a list of more than 10 Indian American and Indian Canadian citizens still unaccounted for, sending names, passport numbers and phone numbers to contacts on the ground, hoping someone might be able to locate them.
According to CNN, President Donald Trump said the U.S. is willing to send “any help” to Nepal, calling it a “terrible” disaster, as countries around the world send aid, relief supplies and assistance.
More than 700 foreign nationals are currently accounted for in Nepal and China. The missing foreign nationals hail from 31 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and others.