Hours before the flood: The last footage of two tourists missing in Nepal
The daughter of one of two British tourists missing following the flood in Nepal discovered online footage of them from the hours leading up to the disaster. The two were on their way to a pilgrimage in Tibet, and their family members continue efforts to locate them: "We have not given up."
Nepal, one of the most beloved and popular destinations for backpackers and Israeli travelers, is dealing with a severe natural disaster that is turning dream vacations into an ongoing nightmare. A pharmacist from the UK managed to locate her mother and aunt, who are missing, in a video filmed just a few hours before a deadly flash flood struck the border area with China, leaving massive destruction in its wake.
In a conversation with the BBC, Tulsi Patel described how frantic searches on social media led her to the chilling discovery. After realizing that the planned crossing of her mother and aunt at the Friendship Bridge — a central and highly traveled border crossing between Nepal and China — had been delayed due to the weather, she began digging online.
"We found a video that showed my mom and my aunt waiting to cross the border with three other people from the group," she recalled. The video was filmed on Wednesday morning, shortly before 06:00 local time — mere moments before the giant flood.
On a pilgrimage to Tibet
The two were in the midst of a pilgrimage to Tibet, which they had planned for years and defined as a "trip of a lifetime." The deadly disaster in the area has claimed the lives of hundreds of people, and the fate of thousands more remains unknown. Family members tried to contact them again and again, but all attempts were in vain.
Among the thousands missing and trapped in the disaster area are dozens of foreign nationals. International aid teams are making their way to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to assist in the complex search and rescue efforts in difficult terrain conditions.
Despite the disturbing footage, the family refuses to give up:
"We have not given up," emphasized Patel, calling for increased rescue resources on the ground.
The relatives even considered flying to Nepal themselves, but security and rescue forces are currently restricting access to the affected area due to fears of further collapses.
