Days following a devastating surge of water in the Timure area of Nepal, relatives of two Metro Vancouver couples are fervently seeking updates on their whereabouts. Dhaval and Megha Shah from Port Moody, along with Sumit and Shubakshi Rawla from Coquitlam, are part of a group of 32 Canadian citizens and permanent residents who went missing after the flash flood on August 26, which tragically claimed the lives of over 570 individuals.
Vikram Khosla revealed that Shubakshi, his cousin, was in the region for a trek to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet, a revered site for various religious groups, as a special 50th birthday present to herself. The couple had nearly set off for their journey when they last communicated with a family member approximately an hour before the flood hit early on Wednesday. Since then, no one has been able to establish contact with anyone from the group.
Expressing hope that the couple may have sought higher ground and are stranded, Khosla mentioned that the Rawlas, who are Singaporean nationals that relocated to Canada around four years ago, are parents to two daughters. From Mumbai, India, Dhaval’s brother, Kheval Shah, disclosed that his brother and sister-in-law were staying at Hotel Kailash close to the border on the fateful morning. The family’s final interaction with them was during breakfast just moments before the flood engulfed the hotel.
Desperate for closure and details on their loved ones’ whereabouts, the families are yearning for more information on the ongoing search efforts. While Canada pledged $5 million in immediate humanitarian aid to assist Nepal, Shah emphasized the need for the Canadian government to press for increased transparency from Nepalese authorities regarding the search operations.
Expressing dismay over the dearth of updates, Khosla mentioned that Shubakshi’s siblings have traveled to Kathmandu in a bid to reach the affected area and seek answers. He stressed the necessity for a centralized information hub to provide real-time updates to families of the missing individuals. As of the latest reports, approximately 3,000 individuals are still unaccounted for in the aftermath of the calamity, with no Canadians among the 121 foreign nationals rescued as per the Nepal Tourism Board’s statement on Friday.