Desperate search for Brits still missing after ‘tsunami from the sky’ disaster

Nearly 400 people have lost their lives and more than 900 are reported missing — among them 33 British nationals — following devastating flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border.

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority confirmed that more than 900 people remain unaccounted for, including dozens of Britons. The Nepal Tourism Board revealed that 644 tourists are “out of contact”, while the latest figures from Nepali police put the number of injured and rescued at 466.

Nepali authorities described the harrowing scenes on Wednesday as “devastation beyond imagination” after a torrential wall of water standing 650ft high tore through a valley in the Rasuwa region, north of the capital Kathmandu. Entire villages were obliterated within seconds after a glacial collapse triggered catastrophic flooding across the mountainous area, which is a popular destination for pilgrims and trekkers alike.

The confirmed death toll from the floods has reached 389, though that figure is widely expected to climb in the days ahead. Recovery teams have discovered bodies hundreds of miles from the original disaster zone, The Mirror reports.

Missing Brits

Distraught British families have been desperately seeking any news regarding loved ones who had been visiting the region. Among those unaccounted for are a 13 year old British girl and a 14 year old boy, both missing since the glacier collapse on Wednesday morning.

Senior Darent Valley Hospital nurse Sarada Simkhada, from Dartford, Kent, departed for the country last Saturday on a religious journey. She relocated to Britain more than 20 years ago and is regarded as a dedicated member of her team, according to a friend who spoke to reporters.

Former University of Kent graduate Nabhi Das was in Nepal when the disaster struck. Nabhi, from south London, is believed to have previously visited the Himalayas.

Sunil Amin, from Croydon, south London, revealed he last made contact with his wife Hema Amin on Monday, at around 4.30pm, after she travelled to Nepal with her sister, Hemangini Pate, over the weekend.

He told Sky News: “I keep trying to call her. I’ve been trying, trying, trying.”

He explained that the two sisters had embarked on a pilgrimage to Gosainkunda lake that was due to last until September 4. However, following the flash floods, he had made repeated attempts to reach her, all without success.

When he attempts to call, the line either rings out or fails to connect, he said, adding: “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.”

Speaking to the BBC, Pramod Poudel, from East Sussex, said there was no electricity in the area and he could not reach his loved ones. Poudel added: “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.”

Desperate search underway

Speaking to the BBC, Pramod added: “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 operator Alpine Eco Trek, which provides guided expeditions and excursions in Nepal, said it has been unable to make contact with a party of 12 Britons who had booked a tour to Mount Kailash, and were in the vicinity when the flash floods hit. The missing British nationals range in age from 13 to 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 organises tours across Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan, revealed that nine UK nationals on a pilgrimage have gone missing after crossing the Nepal-Tibet border. The organisation confirmed that four males, aged between 14 and 50, and five females aged 40 to 53 remain unaccounted for.

Himalayan Glacier US stated it had lost contact with a group of 47 guests and staff — including two Brits — who were likewise undertaking a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, regarded as the spiritual home of the Hindu god Shiva.

Two further companies, Kailash Journeys and Fishtail Tours, also confirmed that British nationals were amongst those unaccounted for on their respective tours.

King Charles ‘heartbroken’

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 announced that the UK has pledged £5m to support the Nepalese government in the wake of the floods, describing it as a “very distressing and devastating situation”. He said: “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 revealed he had spoken directly with his Nepali counterpart, pledging that Britain would do everything within its power to “help Nepal in its hour of need”.

In a joint statement alongside Australia, the EU, Finland, France, Norway and Switzerland, the UK embassy in Nepal called on British nationals to “exercise caution in affected areas”.

Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian chief, described the flood as “horrifying”, confirming that emergency teams had been deployed and an initial $2m (£1.5m) in disaster relief funds allocated to cover emergency medical care, shelter and water.

Horror moment flash floods hit

The flood struck in the early hours of Wednesday in Rasuwa, with preliminary reports suggesting it was triggered by an earthquake. However, the Geological Survey subsequently concluded that further analysis revealed “the seismic energy was instead generated by a landslide.”

It confirmed that a magnitude 5.2 seismic event, caused by a “glacial collapse and debris flow”, occurred near the border at 08:37 local time on Wednesday.

Shocking CCTV footage captured a torrent of water and mud engulfing buildings near a border crossing, while video recorded from inside a bus in Trishuli showed dozens of terrified residents desperately attempting to flee the surging floodwaters sweeping through the valley. Footage revealed trucks being overturned and houses, roads and power plants swept away.

The president of the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management described the floods as akin to a “tsunami from the sky” and said villages have been “completely wiped out. Bishal Nath Upretti told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme today: “That was an earthquake, and this is a kind of flood. We call it flood, but actually it’s a kind of a debris flow dam collapse.”

He continued: “It was such a huge amount of water. You can imagine it is 20 million cubic meters excess water on the river, and it was like a tsunami from the sky.

“It’s such a huge debris, and everything on the way was completely washed out. Villages and villages along the almost 40 to 50 kilometres were completely wiped out.”