Dozens of British nationals are among the hundreds missing in Nepal following a catastrophic glacier collapse that unleashed a "tsunami from the sky," causing widespread destruction. Search efforts are ongoing as families anxiously await news.
A total of 48 British nationals are thought to be unaccounted for, including two teenagers. The disaster, which struck on Wednesday, has so far claimed 734 lives with over 2,498 people missing.
Among those missing is Sumitra Poudel, 25, a newlywed whose husband, Pramod Poudel, 34, has travelled from the UK to search for her. The couple last spoke just hours before the floodwaters swept through villages along the Nepal-Tibet border. "When I last spoke to her, she said to me, 'how are you? I love you so much'," Pramod Poudel told The Sun. "I have not had contact with her since then. It's devastating."
Another British family of four, including former Mrs India UK Surabhi Sahu, 44, her husband Santosh, 46, and their children Spandan, 18, and Syna, 13, are also missing. The family, who live in a £1.3 million home in Surrey, were on an adventure trek across the Nepal-China border. They were last heard from as they crossed the frontier from Nepal into Tibet.
Pravin Atmakur, 54, a consultant psychiatrist for the NHS, was leading a group of 77 pilgrims to Mount Kailash in Tibet when the floods struck. His wife, Manjula Atmakur, has travelled from Britain to search for him. "I am emotionally broken. I don't know how my husband is. In which situation. I want him back," she told The Telegraph in Nepal.
Other Britons confirmed missing include NHS worker Yashika Basnet, 56, and her 18-year-old daughter Nelly Chhetri, who were part of a tour group. Senior nurse Sarada Simkhada, 55, also remains unaccounted for after travelling for a pilgrimage. Leena Bector, 53, from Slough, and Nabhi Das, from Streatham, are also among those missing.
Tour operators have reported that phone lines are down and rescue efforts in the mountainous region are being hampered. CCTV footage from Gyirong Port, a key border crossing, showed people running for their lives as the disaster unfolded.
The flooding is believed to have been caused by a massive chunk of glacier breaking off and damming a river, leading to a catastrophic surge of water and debris. The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse.
Despite the devastation, there have been stories of heroism. Rajendra Dawadi, principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli secondary school, managed to divert buses carrying over 700 students away from the school grounds just as floodwaters began to rise, saving more than 1,600 children and staff. "It got to the other side just as the bridge collapsed," he told The Times.