DESPERATE FAMILIES SEARCH FOR MISSING RELATIVES AFTER NEPAL FLOODS

Families across Nepal and abroad are desperately searching for relatives who remain missing after devastating flash floods struck communities along the Nepal-Tibet border.

The floods, which hit the mountainous Rasuwa region, killed at least 165 people and left hundreds of others unaccounted for, including foreign tourists and travellers.

The disaster swept through communities with powerful flows of water, mud and debris, destroying homes, roads, vehicles and other infrastructure.

The scale of the destruction has made rescue and search operations difficult, with several roads completely washed away. Authorities have been relying heavily on helicopters to survey affected areas and locate people who may still be stranded.

Families in countries including Australia and South Africa have appealed for information about relatives who were travelling in the affected region. Some groups of international tourists have also been reported missing.

In Australia, families in Sydney have been seeking information about travellers who lost contact with relatives after the floods. One group of Indian-Australian travellers was among those reported missing in the disaster zone.

South African families have also sought assistance, with humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers placed on standby to support search and rescue efforts.

The organisation said access to the affected areas remained extremely difficult because roads had been destroyed and conditions were preventing rescue teams from reaching some locations.

Nepali authorities are continuing rescue and recovery operations while assessing the full extent of the destruction.

For families still waiting for news, the search has become a race against time as rescue workers navigate damaged infrastructure and difficult mountainous terrain.

The disaster has also renewed concerns about preparedness for sudden floods in the Himalayan region and the need for stronger early-warning and emergency response systems.