World News
Search continues for missing U.S. citizens following devastating flooding along Nepal-China border
A North Carolina physician is calling for international aid and restored communications as search efforts underway for her parents and over 1,500 others missing in Nepal.
The short version
- More than 500 people have been killed in Nepal and over 1,500 remain missing after massive flash floods generated nearly 30-foot-high waves along a river bordering Tibet.
- Among the missing are Deepak and Madhu Ahuja, U.S. citizens from Dallas who were completing a pilgrimage trek to Mount Kailash.
- CCTV footage showed floodwaters destroying a building at the Gyirong border crossing where the missing group was slated to be located.
- Family members are urging international cooperation between India, Nepal, China, and the United States, as well as the authorization of satellite internet access in Nepal to assist search operations.
Key facts
- Nepalese police reported that over 500 people were killed on the Nepal side of the border and more than 1,500 people remain missing after nearly 30-foot-high waves flooded the river region between Tibet and Nepal.[NPR]
- Deepak and Madhu Ahuja, U.S. citizens and small business owners from Dallas, went missing during a pilgrimage trek to Mount Kailash for a 60th birthday.[NPR]
- The last known location for the Ahuja family was the Gyirong border crossing between China and Nepal, where CCTV footage captured flooding destroying the building where their group was scheduled to be.[NPR]
- Shreya Ahuja, a physician in North Carolina, has advocated for cross-border cooperation among India, Nepal, China, and the United States to aid search efforts.[NPR]
What remains uncertain
- The exact location and condition of the Ahujas and the majority of the 1,500 missing individuals remain unknown due to destroyed infrastructure and disrupted communications.[NPR]