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Virginia family pleads for rescue assistance with 4 relatives missing in Nepal-China border floods

A Virginia family is calling for increased international assistance after four relatives went missing following catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-China border.

The short version

  • A family based in Richmond, Virginia, is seeking expanded search and rescue efforts for four missing relatives following severe flooding along the Nepal-China border.
  • The missing relatives were traveling as part of a 47-person tour group organized by Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company whose hotel was swept away by flash floods on Wednesday.
  • The disaster has killed hundreds of people and left over 2,000 missing, including roughly 90 Americans according to the U.S. State Department.
  • Search and rescue efforts remain ongoing as families wait for news on survivors trapped or missing in the mud.

Key facts

  • Flash floods along the Nepal-China border killed hundreds of people and left more than 2,000 missing, including about 90 Americans according to the U.S. State Department.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • A 47-member tour group organized by Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company, consisting of 40 guests and seven guides, remains completely unaccounted for after their hotel was swept away.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • The four missing relatives are Umesh Kumar (56), Akanksha Patel (32), Ishan Patel (32), and Shilpa Patel (59).[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • Ishan and Shilpa Patel are dual Canadian and U.S. citizens, while Umesh Kumar and Akanksha Patel are Canadian citizens, according to family relative Mukti Patel.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • The family's last contact with the missing relatives was a phone call on Wednesday.[ABC News · Associated Press]

What remains uncertain

  • The exact condition and location of the 47 missing individuals from the tour group remain unknown as rescue operations continue.[ABC News · Associated Press]

Sources