A British-based Nepalese family has described the devastating impact of flash floods in Nepal, with dozens of relatives feared missing after rapidly rising waters hit communities.
Speaking to GB News, Rajendra Pudasaini, president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association, said the situation remained “really, really scary” as the death toll from the disaster continues to rise.
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A total of 359 are known to have died in the floods as search efforts continue for dozens of missing Britons, including a 13-year-old girl.
Rescuers have continued to search for survivors in the debris-strewn valleys and hillsides of Nepal today as more than 1,000 people remain missing in the Himalayan country and neighbouring China.
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Mr Pudasaini said his mother had been rescued by the army and taken to an army base with her two-and-a-half-month-old great-grandchild.
Tragically, he revealed that several other close relatives had lost their lives.
His son Suraj, born and raised in Essex but visiting Nepal every year, said his grandmother, great-uncle, and great-aunt had been caught in the floods and were missing.
He described hearing that relatives had tried to hold on to family members as the river’s force swept them away.
“I struggle with that a lot. I struggle with that sitting here.”
Suraj said the family is still desperately trying to contact relatives, with more than 20 people he knows remaining unaccounted for.
“We just keep on calling them to see whether they pick up,” he said, adding that they were also asking people nearby whether they had seen or heard from them.
Suraj said the speed of the flooding had made the disaster particularly devastating.
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He said people had little warning before water surged into communities, leaving them with only minutes to escape.
“There was no rain before this kind of water came in and destroyed villages and buried people’s lives,” he said.
Suraj also described the emotional toll of watching the destruction from Britain.
“It’s just kind of, you know, I can’t explain how it feels,” he said.
“I just feel an immense amount of guilt because I kind of feel, why am I lucky enough to sort of be here and not suffer from this, and all my relatives back home have to suffer from something that they can never have prepared for.”
The flooding has also raised concerns for tourists in the region, which is popular with backpackers, trekkers and climbers from around the world.
Suraj said he had visited the area as recently as 2024 and described it as full of visitors from Britain, America, China, and India.
He warned that the timing of the disaster could have compounded the tragedy, with the floods coinciding with Janai Purnima, an important date in the Hindu calendar when people travel to the region.
“It’s just tragic and immense,” he said.
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