S'pore couple missing in Nepal floods, their daughters appeal for help: 'We want to see our parents soon'

Flash floods and mudslides swept through Nepal's border region with Tibet on Aug. 26, leaving hundreds dead and scores missing.

The death toll in Nepal has risen to at least 469 people, with around 900 people unaccounted for, BBC reported on Aug. 28.

Among those missing are several Singaporeans, including a married couple who were travelling with a tour group when the disaster struck.

Singaporean couple among those missing

Nine Singaporeans were reported missing as of Aug. 27, according to an official situation update published on the Nepal Tourism Board's website.

Two of them, 53-year-old Sumit Rawla and his 49-year-old wife Shubakshi Rawla, were travelling with a tour group operated by Himalayan Glacier when the floods struck.

The group comprised 15 Australians, 10 Canadians, nine Nepalese, eight Americans, two Britons, two Singaporeans, and one Russian-American dual citizen.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Shubakshi's sister, 45-year-old Dipti Bhatnagar, said the couple had been married for 25 years and have two daughters, aged 20 and 16.

The family of four lives in Canada.

Last spoke to her sister on video call

Dipti told the Chinese-language newspaper that the last time she spoke to her sister was at around 7am on Aug. 26, when the two had a video call.

Shubakshi was staying at a hotel in Timure, a border town in northern Nepal near the border with Tibet, China, she said.

"She even introduced me to the hotel's facilities," she said.

"Little did I know that just an hour after we ended the video call, I would no longer be able to get in touch with her."

Shubakshi had also told her that the couple were preparing to cross the border into Tibet, Dipti added.

Following the disaster, Dipti brought her nieces to India to await news of their parents.

The two daughters later posted a video on Instagram appealing for information about their parents.

They said they had been unable to contact them for nearly 48 hours and were extremely worried.

"We’re obviously just like sad and we’re confused because we want to know stuff and nobody’s telling us anything," one of the daughters said.

The sisters said the Singapore Embassy and Singapore High Commission have been actively assisting the family, but also appealed to local authorities to work with telecommunications companies to provide location information from their parents' smart watches, saying this could potentially help rescue teams locate missing people more quickly.

"This is a sincere request. We really miss them and we really want to see our parents soon."

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"I don't know what to tell our 7-year-old daughter"

Another Singaporean, who wanted to be known only as Selvaganesh, 43, told Shin Min that his wife, 40-year-old Shalinny Deavy, was on a pilgrimage in Nepal when the floods struck.

It was Shalinny's first pilgrimage trip to Nepal, he said, adding that the last message he received from his wife was at around 9:15am on Aug. 26.

She told him she was about to clear immigration at the Nepal-China border and would contact him again when she was able to.

The couple have been married for 10 years and have a seven-year-old daughter together.

That night, he told their daughter that her mother was missing.

"She said she misses Amma, and before she went to school, she said to tell Amma to call in the evening as she wants to talk to her," Selvaganesh was quoted as saying. "I don’t know what else to tell her."

66-year-old Singaporean also missing

Singaporean S. Maniam, 66, who was travelling with the same pilgrimage group as Shalinny, is also missing.

His younger brother told Shin Min that Maniam was the eldest of five siblings and had joined pilgrimage groups before.

Before leaving, Maniam exercised every morning at around 4am or 5am to prepare himself physically for the 15-day trip, his brother said.

The family last heard from him at around 8am on Aug. 26.

"He said he was about to enter an area without communication signals and expected to reach the Chinese border at around 1pm. After that, we lost contact with him," his brother said.

Maniam is married and has three grown-up children, he added.

The family subsequently contacted Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and is waiting for further instructions.

"The family is prepared to fly over at any time, but MFA told us that the area is still unsafe and asked us to wait for further updates," his brother said.

He described the past few days as extremely agonising for the family, which is deeply worried about Maniam's safety.

"Our biggest concern right now is to get more information as soon as possible, and we hope he can return home safely," he said.

Three Singaporeans climbing the Himalayas when flood struck

Shin Min also spoke to another 29-year-old Singaporean who was climbing in the Himalayas.

The man was travelling with his wife, brother-in-law, a Nepalese mountain guide and a porter, and the group was heading towards Annapurna Base Camp.

He said they did not feel any tremors or hear any loud noises when the disaster occurred, and only learnt about the flash floods afterwards.

The group is now considering taking a helicopter down once weather conditions improve, as the descent route and transportation could be affected.

Meanwhile, four Singaporean climbers travelling with Malaysian mountaineer Datuk Mohanadas have safely arrived in Tibet and will continue their pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.

Mohanadas said his 56-member group comprises 39 Malaysians, four Singaporeans and three Canadians, according to Shin Min.

In a Facebook update, he said the group and its route were unaffected by the disaster.

He also expressed condolences to those who died and their families, as well as others affected by the disaster.

MFA in touch with affected families

In a statement on Aug. 27, MFA said it is in touch with the families of Singaporeans affected by the flash floods in Nepal.

The Singapore High Commission in New Delhi and the Singapore Embassy in Beijing are working closely with the Nepali and Chinese authorities, it added.

The High Commission in New Delhi has also deployed a crisis response team to Nepal to provide consular assistance to affected Singaporeans.

Singaporeans travelling to or residing in Nepal are encouraged to eRegister with MFA.

Those requiring consular assistance can contact the Singapore High Commission in New Delhi, the Singapore Embassy in Beijing, or MFA’s 24-hour duty office.

The Singapore Red Cross has also pledged S$50,000 in humanitarian aid to support immediate response and relief efforts, according to a media release on Aug. 27.

It will also launch a public fundraising appeal to help those affected by the disaster.

Singapore residents who have lost contact with immediate family members in affected areas can contact the Singapore Red Cross at [email protected].