Flash floods devastate border region between Nepal and Tibet
The last communication from Radhika Sharma’s parents, Ramesh and Neelam Sharma, came as they crossed from Nepal into Tibet, where they were undertaking a religious pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a site holy to several faiths, when disaster struck with catastrophic flash floods, reports BritPanorama.
Shortly after their border crossing on Wednesday, a massive torrent of water, rock, and mud cascaded through the Himalayan corridor, leading to significant destruction. Videos from the hardest-hit areas depicted a scene of chaos as debris flows engulfed buildings and swept away vehicles, disrupting towns and severing vital infrastructure, including roads, power, and communications. The incident, linked to the collapse of a melting glacier, was intense enough to register as a magnitude-4.4 earthquake on seismic monitors.
In one distressing video from Mailung, Rasuwa region, a group of construction workers, initially unaware of the impending danger, were seen fleeing up a mountain path after noticing a massive surge of brown debris rushing toward them. As one worker captures the moment on camera, he shouts, “Oh, my God, the flood is getting so big! Let’s run — run fast, guys!”
By Thursday afternoon, authorities had confirmed the recovery of 289 bodies within Nepal and three fatalities in Tibet, with additional casualties anticipated as the search continued. Nepal’s Tourism Board reported that 644 travelers, including 65 Americans, were still unaccounted for.
Among those missing are Sharma’s parents, who were part of a group of seven making the journey to Mount Kailash, a pilgrimage attracting tens of thousands each year. “It has probably been the worst 24 hours of my life,” Sharma, a 32-year-old doctor from North Carolina, relayed during an interview as she anxiously awaited news.
The uncertainty weighed heavily on her as she sought assistance from the U.S. embassies in both Nepal and China. “I haven’t heard anything back,” she expressed, highlighting the agonizing wait for information about her parents.
Using social media, Sharma reached out for help, connecting with individuals in Nepal attempting to locate her parents. “I’ve given them my parents’ information, their photos. I’m on the phone now, just waiting to hear someone say that they’ve even seen them,” she said. Her experience is echoed by many, as families scramble for news of missing loved ones amid the chaos.
The U.S. State Department announced it was cooperating closely with local authorities to locate and assist American citizens in the affected regions, advising concerned families to contact its emergency line. The remote, mountainous nature of the area complicated travel and communication even before the disaster, while the flood’s destruction crippled existing infrastructure, further isolating those affected.
In Baidur, 33-year-old Shova Shrestha reported spending over a day without news of her husband, Rajan Shrestha, as rescue operations continued. “I keep looking at each helicopter, hoping he will step out of it,” she told The Associated Press.
Assessing the aftermath from above, Sagar Pandey, head of a tour company aiding travelers from various nations, described the devastation: “There are no human-made things, no human settlement left. Everything is just flat. So anyone in the hotel, the restaurant or the car, I believe that everybody is gone.”
Amid the turmoil, Syed Sadique, operator of a tour agency in southern India, is anxiously waiting for updates on 57 tourists, including his son, who were traveling with him. “A member of the group told us that one vehicle carrying about 20 people managed to get through safely, while passengers saw another bus plunge into a gorge,” he reported.
Sharma’s frantic outreach culminated in a message meant for her parents, communicating her love and commitment to finding them: “I love you. I am looking for you. I will keep looking for you. I just hope you’re OK.”
These sentiments reflect a broader anxiety shared by many families grappling with uncertainty in the wake of one of the region’s deadliest natural disasters in recent memory.
