Agony in the Himalayas: British Couple Missing After Nepal Flash Floods
KOLKATA – A nightmare has unfolded for a family in Kolkata as they await word on the fate of a British couple who went missing four days ago amidst the catastrophic flash floods that have decimated parts of the Nepal-Tibet border region.
Anal Kar, 56, and his wife, Sanjukta Kar, 50, both of whom have deep roots in Kolkata, were on a long-awaited pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar. The couple, who traveled to Kathmandu from New Delhi on August 18, were last tracked to the remote border town of Timure. Their disappearance comes in the wake of a devastating ice-rock landslide that blocked a Himalayan river, triggering massive, destructive floods.
A Final, Abrupt Connection
For their daughter, Aratrika Kar, a 24-year-old doctor currently working in Wales, the uncertainty is suffocating. The last time she heard from her parents was on Tuesday—just one day before the tragedy struck.
“I spoke to my mother on Tuesday, but the call got disconnected, after which she texted me,” Aratrika shared. She noted that communication had been plagued by connectivity issues throughout the trip, with previous video calls frequently dropping. The couple had been part of a 31-member international tour group organized by a professional agency, consisting of travelers from across the globe, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.
The last verified location of the couple, confirmed via social media uploads, placed them in Timure at 8:10 a.m. on August 26.
The Search for Answers
As days of silence stretch into nearly a week, the family’s desperation has reached a breaking point. Aratrika and her brother, Sankhadeep, are now traveling to Kolkata to reunite with their elderly grandfather in Garia, while preparing for the possibility of flying to Nepal to join the search personally.
“We have contacted the British authorities, but the embassy in Kathmandu could only say they were monitoring the situation,” the family stated. Despite reaching out to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), no concrete leads have emerged.
Back in Kolkata, the emotional toll is evident. Anal Kar’s sister, Jhuma Majumdar, spoke of the family’s struggle to manage the news while shielding their ailing father. “It’s been four days, and we are yet to get any information. My father found out through the news, and his health has deteriorated since.”
A Grim Assessment
The tour agency responsible for the pilgrimage, Kathmandu-based ‘Kailash Journeys,’ has expressed little optimism. Manager Sujay Wasti admitted that the affected areas are currently restricted to the public, with rescue operations handled exclusively by military and defense personnel.
“We have no clue,” Wasti said. “But going by the situation, it seems that survival chances are minimal. It’s been four days; I think the bodies have already floated downstream and entered India.”
Eshor Raj Poudel, the Chief District Officer of the Kathmandu District Administration Office, echoed the grim sentiment, noting that the sheer volume of debris has made the search operation, which has already recovered over 450 bodies, nearly impossible. “The situation is very, very bad,” he said. “Survival chances are remote. Even spotting the couple is next to impossible.”
The humanitarian crisis in the region is extensive, with the Ministry of External Affairs reporting that at least 320 Indians remain missing and roughly 400 others are stranded on the Chinese side of the border. As authorities continue their grueling recovery efforts, the Kar family remains in a state of limbo, clinging to a fading hope that their loved ones might be found.
For the families of those caught in this Kailash Mansarovar disaster, the wait for news has become a heartbreaking race against time.
