Indian-Origin US Couple Missing After Flash Floods Hit Kailash Yatra Route
US couple of Indian origin missing after Nepal flash floods.
An Indian-origin US couple travelling on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has gone missing after devastating flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday. Deepak Ahuja, 60, and Madhu Ahuja, 57, are American citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders. The couple was travelling with a pilgrimage group when extreme weather disrupted movement and communications across the Himalayan border region.
According to their family and tour operators, the couple was part of Group S3, the 26th travel group associated with the pilgrimage, and was returning from Kailash Mansarovar when the floods struck. They were reportedly last seen in Saga, Tibet, where they met spiritual leader Sadhguru along with members of their Yatra group before travelling south towards the Nepal border. Their phone was last reportedly detected around 9 am local time on August 26 at the Gyirong Immigration Facility in Tibet.
The couple was scheduled to complete immigration formalities at Gyirong Port before crossing into Timure in Nepal's Rasuwa district. From there, they were expected to travel by road towards Kathmandu before continuing their journey home to Delhi and the United States. However, heavy rainfall triggered flash floods, landslides and mudslides in the border region, damaging roads and bridges and severely disrupting transport and communication infrastructure.
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The disappearance has heightened anxiety for the Ahuja family as rescue and relief teams continue operations across affected areas. Their son-in-law Akash Mahtani told NDTV that the family has been trying to establish contact with the couple but has faced difficulties because telecommunications and power infrastructure have been disrupted. The family has appealed to authorities, rescue teams and local organisations in areas including Gyirong, Timure, Syabrubesi and Rasuwa to check available emergency records and shelters for any information about the couple.
The couple is among several people reported missing after the flash floods affected the Nepal-Tibet border region. Nepalese authorities have been conducting search and rescue operations following the disaster, with severe damage reported across parts of the Himalayan region. The disruption has also affected pilgrims and other travellers who were moving through border crossings, while emergency teams continue efforts to locate survivors and assist people stranded by damaged infrastructure.
As Deepak and Madhu hold US passports, their family has also initiated emergency welfare enquiries with diplomatic authorities. The family is seeking information about their whereabouts through the relevant authorities in Nepal, Tibet and the United States, while also appealing to people involved in rescue and relief operations to report any information that could help locate them. With communications in parts of the affected border region still severely disrupted, efforts to establish the couple's status remain ongoing.
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