The daughters of a Texas couple missing in the Himalayas are anxiously searching for answers after their parents disappeared during a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage, as catastrophic flooding swept through the Nepal-Tibet border region and killed at least 472 people.
Deepak and Madhu Ahuja are among 90 Americans still unaccounted for following Wednesday’s disaster, which has left more than 1,500 people missing across Nepal and Tibet while rescue teams comb through the battered mountain terrain.
Their daughters, Ashna and Shreya Ahuja, said the couple had stayed in steady contact throughout their journey to sacred Mount Kailash before communication abruptly stopped.
‘We hope that they have been found and are at a hospital and are safe,’ Ashna told CNN, as the family pressed US officials and contacts in the region for updates.
The sisters are gathered with relatives at their aunt’s home, waiting for any sign that their parents made it through the devastation alive.
‘The latest honestly hasn’t changed too much in the past two days,’ Ashna said.
‘We are still reaching out to both officials at the Beijing embassy, Kathmandu embassy, and speaking to people on the ground there to see what the efforts are looking like to rescue and save our parents, hopefully.’
So far, however, Ashna said the family has received little in the way of ‘concrete information.’
Deepak and Madhu Ahuja traveled from Texas for a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mount Kailash before disappearing amid the catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border
Sisters Ashna and Shreya Ahuja are desperately waiting for news of their missing parents, saying they hope the couple have been found alive and are ‘at a hospital and are safe’
Their parents had been in regular contact throughout their journey to sacred Mount Kailash – until suddenly there was silence
Shreya last spoke to her parents only hours before they headed toward the border crossing on August 26.
At the time, there was no indication of the catastrophe about to unfold.
‘They had just finished the pilgrimage,’ she recalled. ‘They were feeling really proud of themselves for having completed it.’
Deepak and Madhu had also just met the religious spiritual leader who led the trek and felt ‘very blessed’ by the encounter.
Most of all, they were looking forward to getting back to their family.
‘They were ready to come home,’ Shreya said.
The couple told their daughter that their tour group was heading toward the border. Because it was nighttime back in the US, Shreya went to bed believing her parents were continuing their journey as planned.
‘I thought nothing of it,’ she said.
TOPSHOT – An aerial view shows houses lying deluged in sludge after flash floods at Devighat, Bidur Municipality, along the confluence of the Trishuli and Tadi rivers in Nepal
Deepak Ahuja, left, had dreamed of completing the demanding Mount Kailash pilgrimage around his 60th birthday while he still felt physically able to tackle the trek
Madhu Ahuja, left, was initially nervous about the challenging pilgrimage but joined her husband to support his bucket-list dream, according to their two daughters
Deepak and Madhu had successfully completed their pilgrimage and were feeling proud and ‘ready to come home’ shortly before their family lost contact with them
Houses lie deluged in thick mud after flash floods at Devighat, Bidur Municipality in Nepal’s Nuwakot district
Excavators and loaders move toward a damaged road section to begin debris
Hours later, the region was being consumed by a disaster of almost unimaginable proportions.
‘We just love them a lot and want them to come home,’ the sisters told the BBC, through tears.
By Friday morning, authorities said at least 472 people had died across Nepal and Tibet, while more than 1,500 remained missing.
More than 3,250 people have been rescued by helicopter, while over 150 injured survivors have been taken to hospitals in Kathmandu and the districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading.
In Tibet, Chinese state media reported three deaths and 558 people missing in Gyirong County, including 260 foreign nationals.
The US State Department said 90 Americans remained unaccounted for across Nepal and China.
No American deaths had been confirmed as of the latest update, while three US citizens had been rescued.
The Ahujas daughters along with many other families are clinging onto a sliver of hope.
Connectivity across the devastated region has been severely disrupted, meaning some of those currently listed as missing could ultimately be found alive and well.
For Ashna and Shreya, every hour without news is nevertheless excruciating.
Deepak and Madhu were heading toward a border crossing with their tour group when they last spoke to their daughter, just hours before the devastating floods struck
New York couple Ramesh Sharma, 65, and Neelam Sharma, 64, are among dozens of Americans missing in the Himalayas after the floods tore through Nepal’s border with Tibet
Another US citizen, Lata Samala, from Richmond, Virginia, was also identified as missing by a relative to Our News Outlet
A flood-damaged section of a highway in Nuwakot, Central Nepal, following the devastating landslide
‘It’s definitely a terrifying situation,’ Ashna said. ‘We know that the people on the ground are doing their best efforts, and we hope that they stay safe as they continue to do so.’
The trip had particular significance for the family because Deepak had dreamed of completing the demanding Mount Kailash pilgrimage before getting older.
It was a bucket-list journey timed around his 60th birthday.
‘He wanted to do this trip before or, you know, right when he turned 60,’ Ashna explained.
‘He didn’t know how his body would change as he grew older. And it’s a pretty tough trek.’
Madhu was initially nervous about whether she could complete the journey herself, her daughter said, but was determined to accompany her husband.
‘She really, really wanted to support him and make sure that he got the best 60th birthday possible,’ Ashna said.
A video filmed by Madhu captured Deepak meditating at Lake Manasarovar near Mount Kailash during what should have been the culmination of their extraordinary journey.
‘She could see how happy he was just being there at the lake,’ their daughter said.
The Ahujas are far from the only American family clinging to hope as they wait for news from Nepal.
New Yorkers Ramesh Sharma, 65, and his wife Neelam, 64, are also missing after traveling to the region for their own Mount Kailash pilgrimage.
Devastating flash floods devastated the Nepali border region of Rasuwa on Wednesday, killing at least 472 people dead and leaving over 1,500 missing. At least 90 Americans are unaccounted for, officials say
Their daughter, Dr. Radhika Sharma, said the journey was her parents’ first vacation alone since retiring last year.
‘My parents have been wanting to do this for a while,’ she previously told Our News Outlet.
‘They had retired last year, and they just started traveling and really living their life.’
The family believes Ramesh and Neelam were near the border at around 8am – about one hour before the flooding – but has been unable to determine what happened next.
‘We don’t know why they were delayed,’ Radhika said. ‘We are hoping that they made it to the Tibet side.’
Speaking separately to the BBC, she described the torment of searching for information from thousands of miles away.
‘I am just trying to find them, I don’t have any answers,’ she said. ‘No one has any answers.’
Hundreds of other foreign tourists and pilgrims from countries including Canada, Britain and Australia have also been caught up in the catastrophe.
Nepalese officials have warned that the numbers could continue changing as rescue teams reach isolated communities and communications are restored.
The Rasuwa District in Nepal saw the worst of the destruction, where rushing waters reportedly reached up to 650ft high and left a trail of devastation
Footage showed the floods decimating villages and wiping out critical infrastructure across the Langtang mountain range, a Himalayan border region between Nepal and southern Tibet
Homes lying in deluged flood waters and debris in Devighat, Bidur Municipality, in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on Thursday
Expansive rescue operations have been launched across the devastated area, and the Nepal Tourism Board said it has so far rescued at least 27 foreign nationals including two Americans
Rescue helicopters are seen at an army camp following flash floods in Nepal’s Nuwakot district
The disaster sent enormous quantities of water, ice, rock and debris roaring through the mountainous border region, obliterating communities and destroying roads and bridges.
Authorities are also watching for the possibility of further flooding as unstable debris and landslide dams threaten areas already devastated by Wednesday’s surge.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump said that the US had offered Nepal whatever assistance it needed.
‘We are sending aid and we’ve spoken to the leadership,’ Trump said. ‘And we let them know anything they want, we’ll have.’
