Weeks after a devastating flood struck the Nepal-China border, families of missing people continue to hope that their loved ones survived.
The disaster began on August 26 when a Himalayan glacier collapse sent huge amounts of mud and rock through mountain valleys. The flood destroyed homes, roads and infrastructure while leaving thousands of people unaccounted for.
Among those still missing is 33-year-old Arushi Gupta, an Indian consultant who had travelled to Nepal before planning to cross into Tibet on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.
Her parents have refused to give up hope.
Nepal Flood Missing Families Wait for Answers
Arushi’s last message to her father came on the morning of August 26.
She told him she was about 15 minutes from the border and later sent a photograph of the Gyirong Port immigration post. After that, her calls and messages stopped receiving responses.
Her father, Ajay Gupta, believes she may have crossed into Tibet and reached a safe location.
That belief has helped the family continue searching despite the lack of new information.
Thousands Remain Missing After Glacier Collapse
The scale of the disaster has made the search extremely difficult.
More than 5,000 people remain missing in Nepal following the glacier collapse, while China has also reported hundreds of missing people in Tibet. At least 1,386 people have died across Nepal, according to the latest figures reported by Reuters.
Floodwaters carried enormous amounts of mud and debris through the region.
The destruction also damaged roads, bridges, power facilities and settlements, making some areas extremely difficult for rescuers to reach.
Rescues Keep Hope Alive
Despite the enormous loss of life, rescuers have achieved several remarkable recoveries.
One of the most dramatic cases involved Sanjay Sah, a hydropower worker who survived for days inside a buried tunnel after the flood struck.
Rescuers eventually found Sah alive after he spent nine days trapped underground. He survived by drinking floodwater and water that seeped through the mountain rock.
Such rescues have given families another reason to keep waiting.
For people whose relatives remain unaccounted for, every possibility matters.
Arushi’s Family Searches Across Nepal
Arushi’s family travelled to Kathmandu only days after the disaster.
Her father and relatives visited hospitals, checked lists of missing people and contacted officials from Nepal, India and China.
He also provided a DNA sample to help authorities identify victims.
The family later collected Arushi’s suitcase from a hotel where she had left some belongings before beginning her pilgrimage.
Still, they received no definite information about her fate.
Families Create Groups to Share Information
Families of missing pilgrims have also created online support networks.
One WhatsApp group connected around 200 relatives and initially held regular calls to exchange information.
However, updates have gradually slowed.
That silence has made the wait even harder for families who still have no confirmation about whether their relatives are alive or dead.
Ukrainian Families Face the Same Uncertainty
Arushi’s family is not alone.
Among the missing are people who travelled from other countries, including Ukraine.
Vladyslava Horlova, a 22-year-old Ukrainian film student living in Norway, has been searching for her missing mother, Elena.
Horlova has contacted ministries, embassies and police departments in several countries. She has also provided a DNA sample to Norwegian authorities.
Yet she still has no clear answer about what happened to her mother.
Technology Offers Few Clear Answers
Families have also turned to technology in their attempts to locate missing relatives.
Horlova checked Apple’s Find My service and found different last-known locations for her mother’s phone and other devices.
Arushi’s family has also sought help using technology.
However, device locations cannot explain what happened to people caught in a disaster of this scale.
Nepal and China Continue Search Efforts
Authorities in Nepal and China say they are coordinating efforts to locate missing people and provide information to relatives.
India has also said it is working with both countries because many missing pilgrims came from India.
Chinese authorities have said they will inform families when they receive relevant information. Officials have also made a hotline available to relatives around the world.
Still, the sheer scale of destruction continues to complicate the search. Reuters reported that the flood deposited about 2.2 million tons of debris across affected valleys.
Nepal Flood Missing Families Refuse to Give Up
For the families still waiting, the search has become a daily struggle between hope and fear.
Arushi’s father plans to return to Nepal with his wife and son-in-law to continue looking for answers.
Other families remain equally determined.
The disaster has already claimed thousands of lives, but the stories of survivors rescued from tunnels show that extraordinary rescues remain possible.
For those waiting, that possibility is enough to keep hope alive.
As Arushi’s father put it, miracles do happen.
