Families in Northern Virginia are urgently seeking help to locate a group of ten local men who vanished during severe flooding along the Nepal-China border.
The men, who trained for months for the trek, were traveling to Mount Kailash in Tibet together with a local guide and two support staff. They were caught in the deluge when a suspected magnitude 5.2 landslide — triggered by a glacial collapse and severe debris flow, according to the U.S. Geological Survey — struck the region. Local authorities report that more than 390 people have died and upwards of 1,400 remain missing across the affected area.
Relatives lost contact with the expedition earlier this week, leaving them scrambling for updates from their homes in Northern Virginia, including five families from Loudoun County.
Sneha Sudhir, whose husband is part of the expedition, said the last communication she received was a photograph of his Nepal exit visa sent near the border on Wednesday morning, right as the rain and flooding intensified.
“We are trying to be able to reach their cell numbers. Nothing is coming up,” Sudhir told FOX 5. “It’s been difficult. I’m pretty sure 10 families, nobody has heard anything. They’re just waiting for something to be coming in.”
Sudhir added that the wives of the missing hikers have formed a network to stay strong while seeking news of their husbands.
The group is among roughly 90 U.S. citizens who remain unaccounted for following the disaster, according to U.S. officials. While the State Department stated it is unaware of any American fatalities, three U.S. citizens have been successfully rescued. President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that 50 or 60 Americans were believed to be in the region, though an exact count has not been finalized.
“Where are they?” Sudhir told radio station KFGO from her home in Chantilly, Virginia. “Everybody is taking turns in shedding their tears, wiping it off and getting back to work.”
Family members have contacted the embassies of Nepal, China, and India, as well as federal lawmakers including Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam.
“Any help, anything that anybody can help us with, any information is what we’re looking for,” Sudhir told FOX 5. “It’s been an emotional ride for us.”
Dhruva Yapalparvi, whose father is also missing, echoed the call for assistance.
“We need as much help as we can get,” Yapalparvi told FOX 5. “So if word spreads, then I hope people will take action, and families can get rescued.”
Subramanyam issued a statement confirming that his office was in contact with official channels to coordinate search efforts.
“I am especially concerned that so many U.S. citizens have been impacted and are currently missing, including many of my constituents from Northern Virginia,” Subramanyam said. “Some of them were community leaders who went to find spiritual connection in the Himalayas.”
UN agency warns of 17,000 children in urgent need of assistance as aid reaches some Nepal survivors
The UK tourists named as missing after the Nepal flash floods
Civil rights groups make urgent plea for voting rights in DC, ahead of midterm elections
Rescue efforts after Nepal flash floods at critical stage, Chinese officials say
The Latest: Iran war reaches its six-month mark as Trump shifts focus
I’m a mom who watched the Clancy trial. This is the reality of postpartum psychosis
