‘My only hope is they are safe’: A Malaysian family’s agonising wait for news after Nepal-Tibet floods

BIDUR, Nepal — A Malaysian family waits anxiously for news of their loved ones caught in the devastating floods that swept through the Nepal-Tibet region. Laloma, a 27-year-old Nepali mother, shared her harrowing experience with AFP, recounting how two buses carrying Indian pilgrims were swept away by the floodwaters. She and her infant son and husband were rescued from the devastated area of Syabrubesi after seeking shelter in a school.

Mount Kailash, a sacred site for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains, draws pilgrims seeking spiritual renewal. However, the journey to the snow-capped mountain has become increasingly dangerous due to climate change and the resulting glacial floods. On Wednesday, a glacial collapse sent a tsunami-like wave of water and debris downstream, burying homes and bridges and leaving more than 470 people dead and over 1,400 missing in both China and Nepal.

Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru, who led a pilgrimage to Kailash, expressed his anguish over the loss of his devotees and shared their pain with his millions of followers. One Malaysian family, consisting of Logadarrsiny Raman and her parents, aunt, and uncle, traveled to the pilgrimage site with a Nepali travel operator. Four members of the family were among the 17 Malaysians on the pilgrimage.

Raman's parents, aunt, and uncle had spent months planning the spiritual journey, considering it a pure intention. They last communicated via WhatsApp just after dawn in Nepal on Wednesday, but the family has not heard from them since. Raman expressed her anxiety and appealed for help locating her parents and the other Malaysian pilgrims, hoping for the safety of her loved ones.