Days following a devastating surge of water that swept through the Timure area in Nepal, relatives of two Metro Vancouver couples who are missing are urgently seeking information about their whereabouts. The couples include Dhaval and Megha Shah from Port Moody, and Sumit and Shubakshi Rawla from Coquitlam, among many others who are unaccounted for after a flash flood on August 26 that claimed the lives of at least 676 individuals.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced on Saturday that one of the 32 Canadians reported missing in Nepal has been located safely, though the individual has not been identified. Vikram Khosla disclosed that Shubakshi, his cousin, was part of a group preparing for a trek to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet, a revered site for Hindus and Buddhists, as a special 50th birthday celebration.
According to Khosla, the couple, who are Singaporean nationals residing in Canada for the past four years, have two daughters. He mentioned that he last communicated with them about an hour before the flood hit, expressing hope that they are safe but stranded somewhere.
Dhaval’s brother, Kheval Shah, revealed from Mumbai, India, that the missing couples were staying at Hotel Kailash near the border when they were last heard from during breakfast, just before the calamity struck. The hotel has since been submerged, leaving no trace behind.
The families are eager to determine the exact location of their loved ones during the disaster for closure. The Canadian government has pledged $5 million in immediate humanitarian aid to assist Nepal, with a focus on organizations like the Red Cross to provide aid to those affected on the ground.
Shah emphasized the need for the Canadian government to urge Nepal to provide more details on the search efforts for the missing individuals. Khosla echoed the sentiment, expressing frustration over the lack of updates and mentioned that Shubakshi’s siblings have traveled to Kathmandu to seek answers in the affected area.
Both families are advocating for a centralized platform to receive timely updates for families of missing persons. By Saturday afternoon, over 3,700 individuals had been rescued, but 2,426 people were still unaccounted for in the aftermath of the disaster.
