Deepak and Madhu Ahuja lost contact after reaching the Tibet-Nepal border as severe floods and landslides disrupted rescue operations
An Indian-origin American couple travelling on a Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage has gone missing after devastating flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border region, leaving hundreds of people unaccounted for.
Deepak Ahuja, 60, and his wife Madhu Ahuja, 57, are US citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders. They were travelling with Isha Sacred Walks as part of a pilgrimage group returning from Mount Kailash when the disaster struck.
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The couple were last known to be in Saga, Tibet, where they met spiritual leader Sadhguru with members of their group before travelling towards the Nepal border
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Their phone was last detected at about 9am local time on August 26 at the Gyirong immigration facility in Tibet, according to their family
They were expected to cross into Timure in Nepal and travel through Rasuwa district towards Kathmandu before continuing their journey to Delhi and then the US. However, torrential rain triggered flash floods and mudslides that damaged roads, bridges and border infrastructure, cutting communications across the region.
The family has appealed for information about the couple’s whereabouts. Their son-in-law, Akash Mahtani, told NDTV that efforts to trace them have been complicated by disruptions to telecommunications, electricity and transport links.
The disaster has caused widespread devastation along the Himalayan border. Nepalese authorities have recovered at least 177 bodies, while hundreds remain missing. Reuters reported that nearly 1,500 people were still unaccounted for across Nepal and Tibet, including foreign nationals and numerous pilgrims travelling to Mount Kailash.
Rescue teams are continuing operations in difficult conditions, while diplomatic authorities have also been alerted about the missing couple.
