Families Wait in Agony as Nepal Flood Disaster Leaves Hundreds Missing

Families across several countries are facing an agonising wait for news of relatives who may have been caught in devastating floods and landslides near the Nepal-Tibet border.

Among those searching for answers are Shreya and Ashna Ahuja, sisters from Texas whose parents, Deepak and Madhu Ahuja, were travelling to Mount Kailash as part of a pilgrimage group. The sisters say the uncertainty has made every hour feel painfully long.

“It’s only been one day, but it has felt like much longer,” they told the BBC. “We just love them a lot and want them to come home.”

One of the sisters had spoken to her parents shortly before the flooding began. Since then, however, the family has been unable to establish where they are or whether they reached safety.

The Ahujas are among a large number of foreign nationals whose families are desperately seeking information. More than 1,300 people are reported missing following the disaster, with tourists from countries including the United States, Australia, Canada, India and the UK believed to be among those affected.

Nepali authorities have reported more than 380 deaths. The US State Department said around 90 American citizens could have been affected, while confirming that three US nationals had been rescued.

The Ahuja sisters have approached the US State Department as well as American diplomatic missions in India, Nepal and China. Despite those efforts, they say they have yet to receive clear information about their parents’ whereabouts.

Another family facing the same uncertainty is that of Radhika Sharma, whose parents, Ramesh and Neelam Sharma, were travelling to Mount Kailash when the disaster struck.

Ramesh, 65, and Neelam, 64, are US citizens living in New York. The pilgrimage was particularly meaningful for them because it was their first independent overseas trip since retiring last year.

For their daughter, however, the journey has quickly turned into a nightmare.

“I am just trying to find them, I don’t have any answers,” Sharma told the BBC.

She said she normally speaks to her parents frequently and is accustomed to receiving messages from them throughout the day. The sudden silence has therefore been especially difficult.

The last information Sharma received placed her parents at the border at around 08:00, roughly an hour before the floods hit.Her family is now hoping they managed to cross safely into the Tibetan side of the border. Sharma has been communicating with US diplomatic officials in Kathmandu and Beijing, but said the family has received little concrete information.

“No one has any answers,” she said.

In the absence of official updates, Sharma has also joined forces with other Americans searching for relatives. The families are sharing information and trying to piece together developments from whatever sources they can find.

Mount Kailash and the surrounding region hold religious significance for Hindus and Buddhists and attract tens of thousands of pilgrims each year. The disaster has therefore struck a region that is not only remote and difficult to access, but also an important destination for international religious travel.

For families like the Ahujas and Sharmas, the scale of the disaster matters less than the fate of the people they love. Until rescuers or authorities can provide definitive information, they remain trapped in an agonising limbo—waiting for a phone call, a message or any indication that their loved ones survived.