Berliner Tageblatt - Family searches for Boston engineer missing after Nepal-Tibet floods

Jyoti, from Boston, travelled to Nepal on a pilgrimage for her 50th birthday. Her family last knew her to be at Hotel Kailash in Rasuwagadhi, Rasuwa district, on August 26. Her husband spoke to her from the United States beginning at about 8.35 a.m. Nepal time; the call lasted roughly nine minutes, and her phone’s final known location was the hotel.

Her husband and other relatives flew from the United States to Nepal. They sought information at the Himalayan Glacier office in Kathmandu’s Thamel district but were advised not to travel to Rasuwagadhi because roads, hotels and other infrastructure had been destroyed.

Nepal Police reported on August 29 that 626 people had died and 1,473 had been injured, with more than 2,000 people missing across the disaster area. More than 4,000 police personnel were participating in the response.

Relatives described Jyoti as a working mother devoted to her career and family. She spent four days visiting Pashupatinath, markets and other Kathmandu attractions while sending photographs home. On August 25, her pilgrimage group left for Rasuwagadhi, a route towards Mount Kailash in Tibet.

The family believes people who saw the water approaching may have reached surrounding hills. Searchers were checking higher and remote areas where mobile coverage may be unavailable. Although uncertainty increases with time, her relatives asked authorities to continue searching and said even a small possibility of survival justified maintaining the effort.

M.Odermatt--BTB