The death toll from Nepal's catastrophic flash floods has surpassed 600, with nearly 2,500 people still missing, including at least 33 British nationals. Among the missing are several Londoners, and a UK rapid deployment team is set to arrive in Kathmandu on Saturday (August 29) to assist British nationals and their families.
The disaster struck on Wednesday, devastating the Rasuwa district bordering Tibet, and has left families in London and across the UK desperately seeking information. Relatives of the missing have described their anguish, with one husband saying he 'keeps trying to call' his wife, and another family saying they are 'not sure what to do' as they hold out hope.
UK response and rescue efforts
The rapid deployment team, consisting of specially trained crisis response staff, will work alongside the British embassy and local authorities. Their tasks include coordinating assistance for British nationals at Kathmandu airport, supporting those seeking information about missing relatives, liaising with local officials and emergency responders, and reinforcing consular operations.
The team forms part of the UK's wider response, which includes £5 million in humanitarian support for relief and recovery. They will also work with families in the UK concerned about loved ones in the affected area. Nepal Army spokesman Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet said helicopter operations were suspended on Saturday until weather conditions improve, complicating the search.
Nepalese officials reported that bridges have been destroyed and nearly 25 miles of roads damaged, hindering rescue efforts. Bishal Nath Upreti, president of the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, described the scene as like a 'tsunami from the sky' and said villages had been 'completely wiped out'.
Missing British nationals
The Nepal Tourist Board has confirmed 33 British nationals are among the missing. Many were on pilgrimages to the sacred Hindu site of Mount Kailash. Nepalese tour operator The Trekkers' Society said nine British nationals on one of its tours are unaccounted for: four males aged 14, 50, 50, and 54, and five women aged 40, 46, 50, 50, and 53.
Travel logs obtained by PA show three men aged 65, 64, and 52, and seven women aged 44, 47, 51, 60, 63, 63, and 65 are also among the missing. Another operator, Kailash Journeys, said it had not been able to account for seven UK nationals: five women and two men aged between 18 and 55.
Londoners and UK residents unaccounted for
Hema Amin, 63, from Croydon, started a pilgrimage to Gosainkunda lake on Monday that was due to last until September 4. Her husband, Sunil Amin, told Sky News: 'I keep trying to call her. I've been trying, trying, trying.'
Nabhi Nandan Das, a 64-year-old Hindu priest from Streatham, South London, is missing. He works at the Sanatan Mandir and Community Centre in Coulsdon, South Croydon, and was leading 11 Britons, including a missing 13-year-old girl, on a tour to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, according to The Telegraph.
Pavan and Kavita Haldia, a couple, are missing. Their 22-year-old son Prajval told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he last spoke to them on Tuesday and received a message on Wednesday morning, about an hour before the flood is believed to have hit. He dropped them off at the airport for their trip to Kathmandu, where they planned to sightsee before a pilgrimage with the South London Sanatan Mandir group.
Geetha Reddy, whose husband Vikram Kolagatla is from London, has not been heard from since the flooding. She has two daughters aged 12 and 14. Kolagatla told the BBC: 'We're not sure what to do. I have two little girls, and their schools are starting next week. The kids still don't believe it. They think she's stuck in the flood and that she'll come back.'
Spandan Sahu, 18, his father Santosh Sahu, 46, mother Surabhi Manmath Padhy, 44, and sister Syna Kumari Sahu, 13, are all missing. Spandan had just finished his A-levels at Royal Grammar School, Guildford, and was preparing to study philosophy, politics, and economics at university, according to his LinkedIn. His mother won 'Mrs Popular' and 'Mrs Goodwill' in the 2018 Mrs India UK beauty pageant, and his father is CEO of UK pharmaceutical technology company Charac. They live in Cobham, Surrey.
Sumitra Sapkota is missing along with her husband Pramod Poudel's mother, uncle, and brother. Poudel, 24, who runs a Nepalese street food company in Sussex, flew to Nepal on Thursday to search for them. He told The Telegraph: 'The flood came and took everyone, including the house. I haven't heard from them because there's no power or anything. I am very sad.'
Leena Bector, 53, a director of a care agency from Slough, is among 27 travellers associated with Fishtail Tours and Travels currently unaccounted for. Her husband Bhupesh Bector told The Times: 'I know that she's in Nepal for sure… so even if they find her today or tomorrow, I need to be there.'
Sarada Simkhada, a senior nurse at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, Kent, left for Nepal last Saturday on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. Her brother Shambhu wrote on social media: 'My dear sister, wherever you are, please stay strong. We are praying for your safety every moment and waiting desperately for you to return home.'
Hemangini Patel, 65, is missing. Her daughter told the BBC that her mother's last known location was from a TikTok video shared as she crossed into Tibet. She and her aunt, Hema Amin, had been on an Alpine Eco Trek tour when the flooding hit.
Bipin Patel, 66, and Mala Patel, 60, from Coventry, went missing after travelling to Nepal and Tibet on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. Their son Deepesh told the Press Association the family last heard from the couple, who run a tutoring business, on Tuesday, with their last known location in the Gyirong area of the Nepal-China border. Another son, Anant, told Sky News he was 'shocked' at the lack of information.
Pravin Atmakur, a 54-year-old NHS psychiatry consultant, was leading a pilgrimage of 77 people to Mount Kailash when the flood hit, according to The Telegraph. His wife Manjula travelled to Kathmandu to search for him. She told the paper: 'I came here with the only agenda that I want to take Pravin back home alive. No one told us anything. We clearly feel let down by the British government. There is no information, they are waiting for China to share the information, updates.'
Neetu Goyal Tiwari, 51, a British citizen, has not been seen since Wednesday. Her brother Naresh Goyal told the BBC that completing the pilgrimage was 'her dream'. She had been travelling with a group from the spiritual organisation Isha Foundation and was expected to travel to India on Thursday to meet her brother and parents.
The FCDO advised: 'British nationals in Nepal should follow local authority advice and exercise caution while travelling. For consular assistance call (+44) (0)207 008 5000 or (+977) (0)14237100.' The search and rescue operation continues as families await news.
