Families descend on Nepal in search of missing tourists

KATHMANDU: Families of missing foreigners have been desperately searching hospitals and morgues for clues a week after devastating floods devastated Nepal's Himalayan border region. One American tourist, Sanjeev Rai, arrived in Nepal seeking his wife Jiwan Jyoti, who disappeared while on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. The village she was in, Timure, remains inaccessible and dangerous.

Rai has lost hope of finding her alive, only hoping for a DNA match. The August 26 flood has been one of the deadliest disasters in recent years, killing over 1,200 people and leaving more than 4,750 missing in Nepal and China's Tibet region. Out of the 583 foreigners still unaccounted for, many are pilgrims who had been preparing for months for the difficult trek around Mount Kailash.

The British ambassador to Nepal, Tim Rob Fenn, said the embassy is providing support to families seeking information, setting up a reception center and reinforcing it with psychosocial experts. Among the missing are 77 pilgrims from Sadhguru's Isha Foundation, including people from Europe, North America, and Australia. Relatives are visiting hospitals and submitting DNA samples in their home countries to help identify bodies.

The disaster has raised concerns about the impact on Nepal's tourism industry, a major source of revenue.