Families Fly to Nepal to Search for 33 Missing British Tourists After Floods

Families are flying to South Asia as 33 British nationals remain missing following catastrophic flooding in Nepal that has claimed at least 538 lives.

Nepalese authorities have published a list of 573 foreign tourists currently unaccounted for after heavy rainfall triggered widespread floodwaters and landslides across the region. In response, the United Kingdom is sending a rapid deployment crisis response team to Kathmandu to support affected citizens. The deployment follows Prime Minister Andy Burnham's pledge of 5 million pounds in emergency humanitarian aid for recovery efforts. Search operations continue despite ongoing threats of secondary flooding, with certain border searches being coordinated by Chinese authorities.

Distraught relatives have begun traveling to the region to assist search efforts and contact emergency services. Naresh Goyal, whose 51-year-old sister Neetu Goyal Tiwari went missing near the Gyirong border checkpoint while on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, issued an urgent appeal to officials to locate her. Similarly, Pramod Poudel of East Sussex confirmed he is flying home to Nepal to search for his missing wife, Sumitra Sapkota, stating that his family needs him there.

Many of the missing travelers were participating in spiritual pilgrimages or trekking tours near the mountainous Nepal-Tibet border when landslides disrupted transit routes. Anant Patel of Coventry reported that his parents, Bipin and Mala Patel, crossed into Tibet shortly before a landslide struck the Gyirong border crossing. Other missing pilgrims include Ankit Ranjan and his wife Ankita Chandra, who lost contact with tour operators on August 26, as well as 65-year-old Hemangini Patel and her sister Hema Amin.

The missing also include an entire family of four from Surrey. Spandan Sahu, an 18-year-old former student at the Royal Grammar School Guildford, was traveling with his father Santosh, mother Surabhi, and 13-year-old sister Syna when the floods hit. Representatives from the school confirmed the family had been reported missing and expressed their deepest sympathies to those affected by the tragedy.

Reports of missing individuals continue to emerge across the UK. Relatives are awaiting news on Sarada Simkhada, a senior nurse at Darent Valley Hospital in Kent who lost contact while visiting Mount Kailash. In South London, members of the Sanatan Mandir temple reported that 16 people from their local community are unaccounted for, including couple Pavan and Kavita Haldia.

Other missing British nationals include London resident Geetha Reddy, who was staying at a border hotel in Rasuwagadh, Slough resident Leena Bector, University of Kent graduate Nabhi Das, and Pravin Atmakur, a 54-year-old psychiatrist who was leading a group of 77 pilgrims in Tibet.

With mobile communication networks disrupted and damaged infrastructure blocking mountain passes, British consular officials and emergency teams are working alongside Nepalese and Chinese authorities to locate the missing.