Bhubaneswar: An Odisha-origin family living in the UK is among the British nationals reported missing following the devastating flash floods that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday.The family has been identified as Santosh Sahu, 46, his wife Surabhi Sahu, 44, and their children Spandan, 18, and Syna, 13. Reports said the family was on a pilgrimage and trekking trip in Nepal when contact with them was lost. British media have also reported that the family is based in Surrey, England.According to UK-based Daily Mail Online, the family had travelled to India before proceeding to Nepal for a journey towards the Nepal-China border and sacred sites in the Himalayan region. They were travelling with a tour group when the catastrophic floods struck.The family was reportedly last heard from around the time the group was crossing the Nepal-Tibet border. The area was hit by a massive surge of water, mud and debris, severely damaging roads and bridges and cutting off communication with several locations.Surabhi, a chemistry graduate and former banker, won the Mrs India UK beauty contest in 2018. Her husband Santosh is the chief executive of Charac, a UK pharmaceutical technology company. Their son Spandan had recently completed his A-levels and was preparing to start a Law degree at Durham University, according to British media reports.
The family was among dozens of British nationals reported missing after the flash floods. The disaster has triggered a major search and rescue operation, with authorities facing severe challenges due to damaged infrastructure, difficult mountainous terrain and disrupted communications.The Nepal flash floods have caused widespread destruction, with hundreds of people confirmed dead and thousands reported missing. Search teams are continuing efforts to locate survivors and missing people across the affected areas.The Sahu family’s relatives and friends are anxiously awaiting information about their whereabouts, while rescue agencies continue operations in the flood-hit region.According to Nepalese media, the death toll from the flash floods reached 616 on Saturday morning, while hundreds remain missing. As of 6 a.m. on Saturday, police had recovered 233 bodies in Chitwan, 158 in Nawalparasi East, 48 in Gorkha, 47 in Nawalparasi West, 45 in Dhading, 41 in Nuwakot, 31 in Tanahun and 13 in Rasuwa, according to a leading Nepalese daily, The Kathmandu Post.
