Canadian Families Wait for Word as Search Continues for 32 Missing After Deadly Nepal Floods

A massive glacial collapse triggered flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26 that have killed at least 570 people, and more than a thousand remain missing across the affected region, including 32 Canadian citizens and permanent residents, according to Global Affairs Canada.

A disaster that struck without warning

The floods swept through the remote Timure region after a torrent of rock, ice, mud and debris cascaded downriver, destroying bridges, vehicles and buildings, according to reporting by the Globe and Mail. Nepalese authorities have confirmed 579 deaths as of the most recent count reported by the Globe and Mail, with search and rescue operations continuing under difficult conditions in the mountainous terrain. The Canadian Press reported that more than 3,700 people had been rescued in Nepal as of Saturday.

Families still waiting for answers

Among those still missing are two Metro Vancouver couples, Dhaval and Megha Shah of Port Moody, and Sumit and Shubakshi Rawla of Coquitlam, according to CBC News. Kheval Shah, whose brother Dhaval is among the missing, told The Canadian Press his family last heard from the couple on Monday, with a cousin receiving a message from them on Tuesday, the day before the flood struck Wednesday morning. Everybody is on edge to get some news, if they’re rescued or found or something, Kheval Shah said in an interview from his home in Mumbai, adding that he believes the Canadian government should press Nepal harder for information about missing citizens. The Globe and Mail separately reported on the Patel family, whose relative Ishan Patel was travelling with his mother, father-in-law and wife when the flood struck on his thirty-second birthday, hours after the family exchanged birthday messages in a group chat.

Canada’s response so far

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Friday that at least 32 Canadians and permanent residents remained missing, according to the Globe and Mail. As of Friday, CTV News said one Canadian had been located, though dozens of families still lack confirmation either way. Canada has committed 5 million dollars in urgent humanitarian aid, according to The Canadian Press, with funds earmarked for organizations including the Red Cross to deliver assistance on the ground. Some family members have said they are planning to travel to Nepal themselves to join the search.

Climate scientists cited by CBC News, at the Kathmandu based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused the flash flood, noting the same region experienced a smaller but similar event in August of last year when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed amid high mountain temperatures, killing nine people and damaging a bridge connecting Nepal and China. Whether this larger event reflects an accelerating pattern of glacial instability in the region is a question researchers will likely examine closely in the disaster’s aftermath, though establishing that link with confidence will take further study rather than immediate conclusions.