Thirty-three British nationals remain unaccounted for following catastrophic flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border, with families expressing distress as loved ones fail to respond to urgent messages. Nearly 400 people have died and over 900 are reported missing.
Nepali authorities described the scenes as "devastation beyond imagination" after a colossal wall of water, standing 650ft high, swept through a valley in the Rasuwa region, north of the capital Kathmandu. The confirmed death toll stands at 389, although this figure is widely anticipated to rise.
British victims identified
Among those missing are a 13-year-old British girl and a 14-year-old boy, both unaccounted for since the glacier collapse on Wednesday morning. Senior Darent Valley Hospital nurse Sarada Simkhada, from Dartford, Kent, who left for Nepal last Saturday on a religious journey, is also confirmed missing. Having relocated to Britain over 20 years ago, she is considered a dedicated member of her team, according to a friend who spoke to reporters.
Nabhi Das, a former University of Kent graduate from Streatham in south London, was in Nepal when the disaster occurred. Sunil Amin, a resident of Croydon, disclosed that he last spoke to his wife Hema Amin on Monday around 4.30pm, after she journeyed to Nepal with her sister, Hemangini Pate, over the weekend.
Families desperate for news
Sunil Amin expressed to Sky News: "I keep trying to call her. I've been trying, trying, trying. We are waiting for replies but nothing is coming through. We're having no joy. We just can't get any answers from there, that's another problem. It's a remote place, and we do understand it's been devastation. We hope it's good news, but we don't know exactly what happened to them."
Pramod Poudel, from East Sussex, told the BBC that due to the lack of electricity in the area, he was unable to contact his family. He stated: "There is no proper communication so I can't communicate with them. I guess there is no power so they can't charge their phones - so be honest, it's a very hard and difficult time at the moment."
He added: "I have seen pictures of where my home town used to be...and there is nothing there now. Where my family used to live - my mum, my dad, my wife, where everyone used to live - there's nothing there. It's a very, very difficult time for me and for my family and my country at this moment, but obviously I have to go and see what's happening there. A lot of people are missing and there is no information regarding who is missing, where they are. Nobody can contact each other and all the bridges are broken, so you can't cross the land. There's no power, no electricity, so I can't contact anyone, so it's a very difficult time not knowing what's happening."
Tour operators report missing groups
Tour operator Alpine Eco Trek revealed it has been unable to establish contact with a group of 12 Britons who had reserved a trip to Mount Kailash and were in the area when the flash floods struck. The missing British nationals are aged between 13 and 65. Manager Kumar Adhikari said: "I feel so sad. We are just thinking about what to do next...We are in pain at the moment, deep pain."
The Trekkers' Society, which arranges expeditions throughout Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan, disclosed that nine UK nationals on a pilgrimage have vanished after crossing the Nepal-Tibet frontier. The organisation confirmed that four males, aged between 14 and 50, and five females aged 40 to 53 remain missing. Himalayan Glacier US reported it had lost communication with a party of 47 guests and staff - including two Britons - who were similarly undertaking a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. Two additional companies, Kailash Journeys and Fishtail Tours, also confirmed that British nationals were among those missing from their respective expeditions.
UK pledges £5m in aid
King Charles expressed that he and the Queen were "heartbroken" and extended their "most profound sympathy" to all those affected. He said: "Many in the United Kingdom have strong, deep and personal ties to this part of the world. We send our most profound sympathy to all those who have so tragically lost their loved ones and we feel deeply for the many families awaiting anxiously the news of friends and relations."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham declared that the UK has committed £5m to assist the Nepalese government following the floods, characterising it as a "very distressing and devastating situation". He stated: "These are such distressing scenes coming out of Nepal. And we feel for the people there and everything that they're going through at this moment in time, such devastation of communities and already, sadly, it seems such a huge loss of life."
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband disclosed that he had spoken directly with his Nepali counterpart, assuring that Britain would do everything within its power to "help Nepal in its hour of need". In a joint statement with Australia, the EU, Finland, France, Norway and Switzerland, the UK embassy in Nepal urged British nationals to "exercise caution in affected areas".
Tom Fletcher, the UN's humanitarian chief, labelled the flood as "horrifying", confirming that emergency teams had been dispatched and an initial $2m (£1.5m) in disaster relief funds allocated to provide emergency medical care, shelter and water.
The deluge hit during the early hours of Wednesday in Rasuwa, with initial reports indicating it was caused by an earthquake. Nevertheless, the Geological Survey later determined that additional analysis showed "the seismic energy was instead generated by a landslide." It verified that a magnitude 5.2 seismic event, triggered by a "glacial collapse and debris flow", took place near the border at 08:37 local time on Wednesday.
