British woman desperate for answers over mum and aunt missing in Nepal following deadly floods
Tulshi Patel last had contact with her family just days before the devastating floods hit on Wednesday
A British woman says she is desperate for answers about her missing mum and aunt who vanished amid the chaos in Nepal following deadly flash floods.
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Tulshi Patel, a pharmacist from Milton Keynes, said Hemangini Jitendra Patel and Hema Sunil Amin travelled out to Kathmandu on Saturday on an Eco-Trek.
Speaking to LBC's Matt Frei on Saturday, Ms Patel said she last had contact with them just days before the devastating floods hit on Wednesday.
"They were supposed to have crossed the border on Tuesday, but I guess due to weather conditions, they got delayed and unfortunately crossed over on Wednesday," said Ms Patel.
"Monday was the last time we'd spoken to them," she added. "We got a photo of them on Tuesday with the coach."
Ms Patel said she came across a TikTok video from the tour company showing her mum in Timure near the Tibetan border crossing shortly before the flood.
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But she said Eco-Trek had been unable to provide any information to families who have been contacting them.
The last known location of Ms Patel's family was a GPS signal at the 'Friendship Bridge'.
"We did our own deep dive research, and we found a TikTok video that verified and showed my mum and auntie and 3 other people from the tour at the border waiting to cross, that the local Nepalese tour guide had made.
"It was Wednesday morning, just before 6 am, Nepal time."
Ms Patel says the trip was "very important" to her mum and auntie.
"This was something that they were both looking forward to. They'd been talking about this from the beginning of the year. It was something that was on their bucket list that they really wanted to do."
While Ms Patel has considered travelling to Nepal, she has been told that they will only be "stuck in Kathmandu".
"At this point we don't really know where we would go because we can't cross the border; we can't actually be there to help.
"We've also heard that all the private helicopters and stuff the government have taken just so that they can use it to help and search for people, which we understand 100%."
“The scenes along the Nepal-China border are devastating, and our thoughts remain with all those affected by this tragedy," a spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said.
“We recognise this is a distressing time and are working around the clock to support families and loved ones of British nationals missing in the floods.
“We are coordinating closely with the Nepali and Chinese authorities and have deployed consular staff to the region to ensure British nationals can access support."