Waiting by the phone: Indian-American families search for loved ones after Nepal floods

Rekha and Rashi Shashidharan had just completed their pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, the peak revered by Hindus and Buddhists as the abode of Lord Shiva. They were expected to cross back into Nepal at noon on Wednesday. Instead, a suspected glacier collapse in the mountains above sent a flash flood tearing through the Rasuwa district on the Nepal-Tibet border, a disaster so violent that seismic monitors briefly registered it as an earthquake.

Amid the unfolding humanitarian crisis, families back home are enduring an agonising wait for updates regarding their loved ones who embarked on the Mount Kailash pilgrimage. Sharing his harrowing ordeal, Shashidharan Sreedharan told ANI, whose wife and teenage daughter are among the missing, "It has probably been the worst 48 hours of my life. My wife and my 14-year-old daughter were two of the many pilgrims who went on the Mount Kailash trip... We are desperately waiting for any good news about their whereabouts. We last spoke to them on August 26. I hope that they, along with all the other pilgrims, are safe and sound." He has spent the days since refreshing his phone and contacting anyone who might help, sharing his family's passport numbers and phone numbers.

Following the devastating flash floods in Nepal that have left numerous pilgrims missing, spiritual leader Swami Avdheshanand Giri, prominent Indian American diaspora leader Prem Bhandari, and affected family members have shared their deep anguish and urgent calls for rescue and relief operations.

He is not alone. Across the United States, Indian American families are living through an anxious wait. Dr Radhika Sharma has been using social media to appeal for information about her parents, Ramesh Sharma, 65, and Neelam Sharma, 64, both US citizens who went silent mid-pilgrimage. She was later put in touch with volunteers in Nepal.

In Virginia, Ritvick Rangu has been trying to reach his father since Wednesday. His family has compiled a list of more than ten Indian American and Indian Canadian citizens still unaccounted for, sending names, passport numbers and phone numbers to contacts on the ground in the hope that someone might match a face to a name.

Nepal's Consul General in New York, Dadhiram Bhandari, said families of several Americans of Indian origin had contacted the Nepal Consulate in New York, which passed on information about more than 25 missing US citizens to Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Most of them appear to be of Indian origin," he said.

The US State Department has said the number of Americans among the missing has fluctuated as officials work to confirm an accurate figure. The US Embassy in Kathmandu said in a statement it was "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and devastation" and extended condolences to affected families.

With official channels stretched thin, Indian American community organisations have stepped in. Prem Bhandari, a community leader working on behalf of several groups including Jaipur Foot USA, Rajasthan Association of North America and BRAHUD, told ANI, "This was like a tsunami from the sky, and we all need to step up in our own little way. Every year, hundreds of pilgrims, not only from India but also Indian-Americans, travel there for the pilgrimage. As of now, there is no information regarding the hundreds of people from the US who went there for the visit... We have issued a helpline number... We hope that everyone returns safely to the US." He added that his phone had become a round-the-clock helpline.

Religious organisations have also responded. Ahead of an address by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat at Madison Square Garden, Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanand Giri arrived in New York on Thursday. He said he was reviewing emergency relief support for Nepal's flood-affected regions.

Swami Avdheshanand Giri told ANI, "...Many people, including Indians, Nepalis, and citizens of other nations, are missing, and the devastation is severe... I, too, will reach out to Indian organisations and institutions to ensure aid reaches Nepal. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending his condolences and offering assistance; he is a deeply compassionate leader, and we stand firmly with Nepal."

For now, families like the Sharmas and the Sreedharans continue to wait, refreshing phones that carry no signal, holding on to photographs, and hoping that somewhere in the debris of the Himalayas, their loved ones are still being searched for, not mourned.

As many as 389 bodies have been recovered, and 977 people remain missing following the Bhote Koshi flood in Nepal's Rasuwa district, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said in its latest status report released on Thursday.

The report said the figures were compiled based on details received from the District Administration Office and District and National Emergency Operation Centres and cover the emergency created by the Bhote Koshi flood in Rasuwa and the major search and rescue operations. In a post on X on Thursday, the NDRRMA released the "6th Status Report".

Of the 977 people reported missing, 28 are Nepal Police personnel, 45 Nepal Army personnel, 13 Armed Police Force Nepal personnel, 15 Customs Office personnel and four Immigration Office personnel.

The missing include 517 foreign nationals and 127 Nepali citizens living abroad who had come to Nepal to visit. The report also reported 73 people to be injured.

As many as 13,295 security personnel have been deployed for search, rescue and relief operations, including 7,250 Nepal Police personnel, 4,200 Nepal Army personnel and 1,845 Armed Police Force Nepal personnel. Fifteen helicopters, including six from the Nepal Army and nine from the private sector, are involved in the rescue operation.

The NDRRMA said 1,976 people have been rescued through helicopter operations, with the report's search and rescue section listing the same figure as the total rescued.

The report said 12 thematic emergency coordination teams have been formed and mobilised to streamline search and rescue, emergency health services, communication, power restoration, road network operation, relief distribution, international assistance and information management.

Road clearance operations are also underway. The report said road obstructions at Devighat have been cleared, while equipment has been deployed to clear blockages on the Galchi-Bidur-Trishuli and Baireni-Muglin road sections.

The Government of Nepal has dispatched NPR 25 million in cash for relief, including NPR 10 million each for Rasuwa and Nuwakot and NPR 5 million for Dhading.

Meanwhile, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Thursday established an Emergency Control Room (ECR) to coordinate assistance for foreign nationals affected by the devastating Bhotekoshi flash floods in Rasuwa district, which have caused massive loss of life, extensive infrastructure damage and reports of missing persons.

In a notice, the ministry said the ECR will serve as the central coordinating body for search and rescue, information verification and consular assistance for foreign nationals affected by, missing in, or otherwise connected to the flood incident.

Nepal grapples with the aftermath of a major flash flood that struck the Rasuwa district on Wednesday morning, sending a powerful surge of water, sediment and boulders through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems.

After visiting flood-hit Nuwakot, Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah said that the situation remained challenging and that the country's state machinery was operating at "full capacity".

"The situation is still challenging. All state mechanisms are operating at full capacity. Right now, our first priority is to save the lives of each and every citizen, search and rescue of the missing, treat the injured and provide immediate relief to the affected families," Shah said in a statement on Facebook.

The Prime Minister said 13,295 security personnel from the Nepal Police, Nepal Army and Armed Police Force had been mobilised for search and rescue operations.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has released the names of 63 Indian nationals working at the Trishuli-I project in Nepal who have been rescued amid the devastating flash floods that have wreaked havoc across the Himalayan nation.

In a post on X on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared the names while saying, "Update on Indian nationals rescued in Nepal."

"Please see the names of 63 Indian nationals working at Trishuli-I project in Nepal who have been rescued," Jaiswal said.

The release of the names comes as the MEA, in its 8 pm update, said that the 63 workers of the Trishuli-I project and 21 people from Tamil Nadu have been rescued. The 21 Tamil Nadu nationals had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

As the devastating flash floods wreaked havoc across Nepal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday stated that 84 Indian nationals have been rescued.

The MEA said efforts were continuing to ascertain the whereabouts and ensure the safety of Indian nationals who remain uncontactable in the flood-affected areas. (ANI)