Families Search for Missing Loved Ones After Devastating Nepal Flash Floods

At a hospital in Kathmandu, families anxiously review lists of the critically injured, the deceased, and those discharged.

Published On 28 Aug 202628 Aug 2026

Kathmandu/Nuwakot/Trishuli, Nepal – Loknath Chaulagain is desperately searching for his 23-year-old nephew, Sudarshan, at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, the capital.

Sudarshan, a bus conductor, had been waiting at a checkpoint in Timure, a border town near Tibet, when the flash flood hit the region on Wednesday. His family reports that a call connected to his phone at 9:54 am local time—after the flood struck—but he did not answer. His phone has remained unreachable since.

His family has searched for him near the flood zone and in Kathmandu’s hospitals where survivors have been admitted, but to no avail.

They are far from alone. Thousands of Nepalese families remain trapped in agonizing limbo between desperate hope and profound grief, clinging to the possibility of a miracle while fearing the worst for their loved ones.

Two days after the flash flood devastated the Bhotekoshi River valley in the northern Himalayan region bordering Tibet, the full extent of the destruction remains unclear in Nepal. The death toll continues to climb, with nearly 500 bodies recovered, while the number of missing persons has surpassed 1,000 and is expected to increase.

The violent surge of water, ice, and mud on August 26 wreaked its worst havoc in Timure, Rasuwagadhi, and Syabrubesi within the higher Rasuwa district near the Tibetan border checkpoints.

Downstream, the torrent obliterated buildings, utility poles, bridges, markets, homes, and vehicles in the Trishuli and Nuwakot regions.

The usually vibrant Trishuli market is now buried under layers of mud, sludge, and debris. Locals, including many Indians who have long made the area their home, implore relief workers to transport them to their ruined homes using earthmovers to salvage whatever remains of their possessions.

Helicopters operated continuously on Wednesday and Thursday across the affected areas, attempting to rescue individuals trapped under rubble or stranded in hazardous conditions after being swept away. Those with minor injuries are receiving treatment at the army camp helipad medical unit, while severely injured victims are being airlifted to larger facilities in Kathmandu.

At Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, people paste posters bearing photographs and contact information of missing loved ones onto the walls. Hospital pillars display lists of admitted patients, those in critical condition, and the deceased—including five-year-old Ishara Tamang in pediatric surgery, 30-year-old Tej Bhadur Tamang in the ICU, and 25-year-old Kusal Magar, who is listed as dead. Anxious gazes fixate on these lists, desperately hoping to locate their relatives.

Among the searchers is Sohan, a young man who declined to speak on camera. He is looking for his 42-year-old father, Gyan Bahadur Rana Magar. “Three days have passed, and we are still searching for him,” he stated. His father had traveled with Indian tourists as a guide to Rasuwa, a border district with Tibet that has been among the hardest hit.

When the posted lists yield no answers, families turn to the mortuary, where photographs of recovered bodies are affixed to the gates. Many of the deceased were found dismembered or missing limbs. Upon spotting a potentially familiar figure, they alert security officials, who verify their identity before granting entry to view the remains.

Dressed in a red saree and blouse and wearing a red pothe necklace—a traditional glass-bead ornament worn by married Nepalese women—Lal Kumari is desperately seeking her husband, Arjun Shreshtha. A tourist van driver in his late 40s, he was swept away by the flood in the Rasuwa district. Kumari, who has three children including a married daughter and a grandchild, holds onto one question: Could her husband still be alive?

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