Relatives of 33 British nationals still unaccounted for are scrambling to reach Nepal after catastrophic flash floods swept through the Rasuwa district and neighbouring Tibet, killing at least 538 people and leaving more than 1,500 missing. The disaster, which struck on Wednesday, has torn apart villages, severed power and communication lines, and prompted warnings of a second wave of flooding from a newly formed barrier lake on the Tibet‑Nepal border.
Desperate Search on the Ground
On Friday, loved ones began booking flights to Kathmandu, hoping to gather any information about those last seen in the mudslide’s path. Many reported that phone lines remain dead, forcing them to rely on contacts inside Nepal and China for updates. The Nepali disaster authority warned that a lake created by debris blocking a river is rising and at risk of bursting, while Chinese state media said an artificial lake formed after a mudslide could send flood waters downstream.
Rescuers were forced to suspend searches as residents who had returned to Rasuwa were told to evacuate hillsides to avoid a possible surge. Video footage shows villagers fleeing uphill, carrying only what they can, while emergency crews work in treacherous conditions to locate survivors.
Individual Stories of Loss
Neetu Goyal Tiwari, 51, a British‑Indian pilgrim, was last seen at the immigration centre on the Tibet‑Nepal border. Her brother Naresh Goyal told the BBC, “We’re not sure what the next second holds and what we should do from our end, because we’re trying to reach everyone we can.” He added, “She was a very fun‑loving woman and really had a great heart. I really hope she comes back soon.” Her nephew Anmol Goyal said she had been travelling with a friend and her name appears on the Nepali government’s official missing list.
NHS psychiatrist Pravin Atmakur, 54, was leading a group of 77 pilgrims when the flood hit. His wife Manjula arrived in Kathmandu on Friday and expressed disappointment with the British government’s response to the crisis.
Leena Bector, 53, from Slough, was among 27 travellers with Fishtail Tours and Travels who are unaccounted for. Her husband Bhupesh said he was booking the next flight to Kathmandu after the Home Office failed to confirm whether she appeared on its missing persons list. “Even if they find her today or tomorrow, I need to be there,” he told the Times. “She must be in trauma.”
Seventeen‑year‑old A‑level student Spandan Sahu from Surrey, his father Santosh Sahu, 46, CEO of UK pharmaceutical technology firm Charac, mother Surabhi Manmath Padhy, 44, and sister Syna Kumari Sahu, 13, are also missing. Family friend Mahadev Semwal said he had WhatsApp contact with Spandan on Monday, but after Wednesday’s flooding his messages were delivered but not read. “Our heart says they are safe somewhere. It’s possible because the communication is jammed. But when you see the videos, it is unbelievable. It feels so bad.”
Sarada Simkhada, a senior nurse from Dartford, Kent, left for Nepal last Saturday on a religious journey and has not been heard from since. Deepesh Patel confirmed that his parents, Bipin Patel, 66, and Mala Patel, 60, from Coventry, were missing after flying to Nepal on 22 August for a pilgrimage. His brother Anant Patel told Sky News he was “shocked” at the lack of information about their whereabouts.
Vikram Kolagatla, from London, said he has not heard from his wife Geetha Reddy, who was staying at Hotel Kailash in Rasuwagadh when the flood struck. “We’re not sure what to do. I have two little girls, and their schools are starting next week,” he told the BBC.
Tatjana Phillips of Folkestone, Kent, reported being unable to contact her sister Julija Jakovicka, who was attending a yoga and meditation retreat near the Nepal‑Tibet border. Tanay Ranjan said he has had no word from his older brother Ankit Ranjan, 39, or sister‑in‑law Ankita Chandra, 35, who were on a pilgrimage. “We don’t know if they crossed the border … We don’t have a clue where they are. We are very much devastated,” he said.
The tour operator Alpine Eco Trek reported losing contact with a party of 12 Britons aged 13 to 65 who were en route to Mount Kailash. Sunil Amin from Croydon described the “horrible, horrible feeling” of repeatedly trying to phone his wife Hema Amin, 63, who was on that trek with her sister.
The Trekkers’ Society said nine UK nationals on a pilgrimage are missing: four men and boys aged 14‑50 and five women aged 40‑53. Himalayan Glacier US noted it had lost contact with 47 guests and staff, including two Britons, on a Mount Kailash pilgrimage. Kailash Journeys said seven UK nationals – five women and two men aged 18‑55 – remain unaccounted for. Leaf Holidays, which runs treks from Kathmandu, wrote that its group of 55 travellers, including four British citizens Tara and Babar Gurung and Thaneswar and Tejkumari Gurung, has not been heard from since Tuesday.
Twelve of the missing Britons were on a tour led by Nabhi Nandan Das, a 64‑year‑old Hindu priest from Surrey’s Sanatan Mandir and community centre. He was guiding 11 Britons to Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, two Hindu holy sites in Tibet.
Pramod Poudel, who runs a Nepalese street food company in Sussex, said his wife Sumitra, mother Tulisa, brother Pradip and uncle Madav are missing, while his father Purusottam has been found alive.
Community Response and Fundraising
The Non‑Resident Nepali Association in the UK launched an emergency fundraising appeal on Thursday, raising more than £12,000 to support relief efforts. Rajendra Pudasaini, a nurse in Essex and the association’s president, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Nepal is witnessing an “irreplaceable loss” and that the country is “paying the price for global warming.” He added, “My godson, we found the body yesterday morning, you know, he was just buried under the mud at his house, and yes, lots of other dead bodies are being found. It’s a very difficult situation to describe, actually.”
Why it Matters
The unfolding tragedy highlights how extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, can instantly overwhelm remote mountain communities and expose the vulnerability of international travellers. With dozens of British families plunged into anguish and the threat of a second flood looming, the incident underscores the urgent need for robust cross‑border early‑warning systems, better communication infrastructure in disaster zones, and coordinated consular responses when citizens are caught in overseas crises. The outpouring of support from the UK’s Nepali diaspora also shows how transnational communities can mobilise quickly, yet the scale of loss reminds the world that preparedness and resilience must be strengthened before the next disaster strikes.
