An Indian-origin US couple from Texas has gone missing during a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash after devastating flash floods and mudslides struck the Nepal-Tibet border, with around 90 US citizens unaccounted for, according to US officials.Deepak Ahuja, 60, and his wife Madhu Ahuja, 57, had travelled from Texas on a group pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. Their daughters, Shreya and Ashna Ahuja, told the BBC that they lost contact with their parents shortly before the floods struck and have since approached US authorities and embassies in India, Nepal and China for information about their whereabouts.The US State Department said about 90 US citizens may have been impacted by the disaster, while three Americans have been rescued. Officials said the US embassy in Nepal was working with local authorities and tour operators to assist affected Americans.The disaster also affected at least 77 people travelling with the Isha Foundation on a Kailash pilgrimage. The group was at an immigration facility near the border when the flash flood hit, according to the BBC.Initial reports suggested an earthquake may have triggered an ice avalanche and landslide. However, the US Geological Survey later said its analysis indicated that the seismic energy was generated by a landslide itself. Rainfall or melting ice may have destabilised the ground or ice, triggering the landslide and flash flooding. Scientists said it was too early to determine whether climate change contributed to the specific disaster.
Americans missing after Nepal floods
The Associated Press reported that about 90 Americans remained unaccounted for a day after catastrophic flash floods engulfed the Nepal-Tibet border region. The State Department said it was not aware of any US deaths and confirmed that three Americans had been rescued.Many of the missing were travelling on pilgrimages to Mount Kailash, a sacred site for Hindus, Buddhists and others.Among the missing are other Indian-origin US citizens, including 45-year-old Venus Rajnikant Patel and 72-year-old Long Island resident Jitendra Patel, AP reported.Nepal police said more than 500 tourists from 28 countries were missing, while Chinese state media reported hundreds missing in Tibet.
