In Nepal, a family of four millionaires who lived in Surrey, UK, has disappeared, including the holder of the “Mrs. India UK” title. In total, 33 tourists from Great Britain are missing.
Several days after the disaster, rescuers are still sifting through mud and debris left by the flood along the Himalayan border between Nepal and Tibet, which is under Chinese control. According to the Nepalese disaster relief agency, the number of missing persons in Nepal has risen to nearly 2,000, reports the Daily Mail.
The border crossing between Nepal and Tibet was washed away by a mudslide.
Among the missing are 517 foreign citizens. As is often the case shortly after a major disaster, different figures have emerged – earlier, Nepalese police stated that 575 foreign citizens were among the missing.
The death toll in Nepal has risen to 579. In Tibet, according to Chinese state media, five people have died, and over 550 are considered missing. Nepal, however, refuses foreign aid, stating that it can manage on its own.
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Among the missing Britons are former banker and beauty pageant winner Surabhi Sahu, 44, her businessman husband Santosh, their 18-year-old son, and 13-year-old daughter. They manage a pharmaceutical company and reside in a $2 million estate in Surrey. In 2018, Sahu won the “Mrs. India UK” beauty pageant after her family persuaded her to participate.
The Sahu family was on the border with Tibet when the disaster struck.
Last week, they traveled to India and then embarked on a trek to Nepal and Tibet. They were expected to return in ten days, before the start of the new academic year. In their last photo, they posed against the backdrop of the Himalayas. They were last seen crossing the Nepal-Tibet border; within minutes, the Gyirong border crossing was inundated by a 180-meter wave of ice, mud, and rocks.
The Sahu family had traveled extensively and completed a unique pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a sacred site for Hindus and Buddhists in Tibet.
Rescuers continue their search for thousands of missing people, while Nepalese and Chinese authorities warn that further floods may occur as rocks and trees have formed a dam on a river in the mountains, and a new lake is rapidly filling with water.
According to preliminary scientific studies, the flood was likely caused by a massive piece of glacier breaking off and temporarily blocking the river. In their opinion, the accumulated water could have been released with immense force downstream hours later. The glacier’s detachment may have been triggered by a short 5.2 magnitude earthquake.
Another flood could occur in Nepal
Scientists have stated that it is too early to establish a direct link between global warming and the disaster that occurred on August 26.
However, they have noted that as the Earth’s temperature rises due to human activities, such as burning oil, gas, and coal, the likelihood of similar disasters increases, particularly in the Himalayas, which are warming much faster than many other regions of the world.
It is recalled that among the missing in Nepal are 56 Ukrainians. In total, hundreds of foreigners from 31 countries went missing during the flood.
“Focus” reported on the disaster in Nepal. The video shows how torrents of water and soil destroyed entire villages in minutes.