British families await news after Nepal mudslide kills 389
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
British families are awaiting confirmation of the fate of relatives missing after a catastrophic mudslide swept through Nepal’s Rasuwa valley, destroying villages and severing communications and transport links. The disaster has left rescue teams struggling to access remote areas, while the scale of destruction and the possibility of further flooding have intensified fears for those still unaccounted for.
At least 389 people have been confirmed dead and more than 1,500 are missing, including 777 foreign nationals, with the toll expected to rise. Missing Britons include pilgrims and tourists from Surrey, Croydon, Slough, Sussex and London; 31 tourists were found alive in Rasuwa, though officials said none were British, and warned that damaged roads could take weeks to reopen.
- Nepal mudslide kills 389; over 1,500 people remain missing.
- British families await news of missing pilgrims and tourists.
- Rescue access is hindered by destroyed roads and communications.
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Nepal is a mountainous country between India and China, where steep valleys and heavy seasonal rain can make landslides and flooding especially dangerous. Rasuwa, in the north of the country near the Tibetan border, is visited by trekkers, tourists and Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims.
A mudslide happens when water-soaked earth, rocks and debris rush downhill, often destroying roads, buildings and bridges. In remote areas, damaged transport and phone networks can leave survivors cut off and make it difficult for rescue teams to confirm who is safe.
Foreign visitors are often among those affected because the region attracts people from many countries. British officials can help families seek information and coordinate with Nepalese authorities, but identifying people and reaching isolated communities may take time.
Full account
British families were awaiting information about relatives missing after catastrophic flooding and mudslides in Nepal and near the Tibetan border. The disaster destroyed homes, roads, bridges, power supplies and communications, leaving many communities difficult to reach. With phones failing and access limited in some places to helicopters, relatives in the UK described repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact people in the affected area.
The reports identify at least 33 British nationals on Nepalese authorities’ published list of missing tourists, including a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy. Several people had been travelling on pilgrimages or visits close to Mount Kailash, while others were on organised tours, a yoga and meditation retreat, or sightseeing trips in the Himalayas. The fate of many foreign visitors remained uncertain as rescuers searched remote locations.
Among those reported missing were Leena Bector of Slough, nurse Sarada Simkhada of Kent, and members of Pramod Poudel’s family. Poudel, who lives in East Sussex, said his wife, mother, brother and uncle had not been heard from, although his father had survived. Other relatives, including Bector’s husband, said they were travelling to Nepal in an effort to obtain information or assist the search.
Rescue operations continued amid concern that the confirmed death toll would rise and warnings of further flooding. The discovery of 31 tourists alive in Rasuwa offered some encouragement, but officials faced major logistical obstacles in surveying areas cut off by damaged infrastructure. The scale of the missing-persons effort reflected both the destruction in Nepal and the large number of overseas visitors in the region.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 gives a death toll of 389 and says more than 1,500 people, including 777 foreigners, were missing; Source 2 reports at least 475 deaths and several hundred missing, including 537 tourists. This appears to reflect reporting at different stages of the emergency.
Source 1 concentrates on the anguish of British relatives, disrupted communications and the physical force of the mudslide, while Source 2 places greater emphasis on the official list of 33 missing British tourists, named individuals and pilgrimage groups.
Source 1 says the 31 tourists found alive in Rasuwa were not British. Source 2 does not mention that group.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “The faces of Britons missing in Nepal: Families in agony as they anxiously await answers on their loved ones after deadly ‘tsunami from the sky’”.