DEHRADUN: As the toll from Nepal’s devastating floods continues to mount, families of nine missing people have approached the Uttarakhand government for help in tracing their relatives, officials said.
The State Disaster Management Department said the missing include one Uttarakhand resident, three people from Mumbai and five foreign nationals — two Americans, two British citizens and one Canadian. All their families or relatives live in Uttarakhand.
Relatives of US citizens Meena Gupta and Pankaj Nath, British citizens Jagdish Merchant and Tejal Merchant, and Canadian citizen Mohit Kaushik have contacted state authorities. Bhawan Dutt, a resident of Uttarakhand, is also missing in the disaster.
The Mumbai residents have been identified as Reema, NRA Raman and Beena Kulkarni. Officials said details of all nine cases had been shared with the Union government and other agencies to coordinate search efforts.
The disaster has killed 1,003 people across Nepal, according to figures cited by authorities on Tuesday, while bodies continue to be recovered from debris in eight flood-hit districts.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 3,916 people remain unaccounted for, prompting search-and-rescue teams to work on a war footing. A large number of Indians are believed to be among the missing.
Chinese media reports said 16 people were killed on the Chinese side, while nearly 550 remained missing in Tibet.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah described the flood as “no ordinary event” and linked its severity to climate change. “This event shows that the risks confronting the Himalayan region are increasing alongside climate change. Therefore, this region must remain vigilant,” Shah said.
He added that the time had come to raise forcefully before the international community the growing climate-related threats facing the country.
The floods were triggered after a glacier burst near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26. A massive avalanche of ice and rock rushed downhill, combining with water, mud and debris to form a violent torrent that tore through towns and villages across northern and central Nepal.
Rescue operations remain hampered by unstable slopes, damaged roads and heavy debris. Authorities have urged families awaiting news to share verified identification and travel details through official channels as agencies continue cross-border coordination and rescue efforts.