British lady desperate for information after her mother and aunt vanish in Nepal

Key Points

• Pharmacist Tulshi Patel of Milton Keynes is desperately trying to find out what has happened to her mother, Hemangini Jitendra Patel, 65, and aunt, Hema Sunil Amin, 63, who were lost in Nepal after the devastating flash floods on Wednesday, 26 August 2026.
• The duo was in the sacred Mount Kailash region on an Eco-Trek (Alpine Eco Trek) tour to the region and were last seen in a TikTok video near Timure, near the Nepal-China border, at around 6 am Nepal time on Wednesday, just before the floods hit.
• The tour operator has not yet been able to give the affected families details of where their last GPS signal was received at the Rasuwagadhi Friendship Bridge, which was washed out in the disaster.
• The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is keeping the families of British nationals lost in the floods under constant care and attention, having dispatched consular personnel to the area and liaising with Nepali and Chinese authorities, it says.
• On Friday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) of Nepal reported 469 dead and 977 missing, while others said the number missing was over 1400, including over 3000 rescued.
• The Nepal Tourism Board has revealed that 33 British nationals are among hundreds of foreigners who remain missing, and tour operators Alpine Eco Trek and Kailash Journeys have confirmed the presence of several British clients who were not contacted after the flash floods.

Milton Keynes (Britain Today News) August 29, 2026 – A British woman is urgently seeking information about her mother and aunt who vanished amid deadly flash floods in Nepal, with their last known location at the Nepal–China border just hours before the disaster struck on Wednesday.

Tulshi Patel, a pharmacist from Milton Keynes, told LBC’s Matt Frei on Saturday that her mother, Hemangini Jitendra Patel, 65, and her aunt, Hema Sunil Amin, 63, had travelled to Kathmandu on Saturday on an Eco-Trek pilgrimage towards Mount Kailash in Tibet. Ms Patel said the last time the family spoke to them was on Monday, and that they were due to cross the border on Tuesday but were delayed by weather and instead crossed on Wednesday, the day the floods hit.

Who are Hemangini Patel and Hema Amin, and why were they in Nepal?

Hemangini Jitendra Patel and Hema Sunil Amin had been planning the trip since the start of the year, describing it as a “bucket list” pilgrimage to the sacred Hindu site of Mount Kailash, according to their family. Ms Patel told LBC that the journey was “very important” to both women and something they had eagerly anticipated. They were travelling with a group organised by Alpine Eco Trek, a tour operator that runs guided expeditions in Nepal and Tibet.

When did the floods strike and where were they last seen?

The flash floods tore through the Rasuwa district and the border area with China’s Tibet region on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, after a glacial collapse triggered a torrent of water, rock and debris down Himalayan valleys. Ms Patel said the last contact with her mother and aunt was on Monday, but the family later received a photo of them on Tuesday with the coach. Crucially, she said they found a TikTok video posted by the tour company showing her mother and aunt with three others from the group in Timure, near the Tibetan border crossing, at around 6 am Nepal time on Wednesday, shortly before the flood.

What does the TikTok video show and why does it matter?

Ms Patel told LBC that the family “did our own deep dive research” and located a TikTok video that verified her mother and aunt were at the border waiting to cross, filmed by a local Nepalese tour guide. The video, timestamped Wednesday morning just before 6 am Nepal time, places them at the Friendship Bridge area moments before the disaster, making it one of the last confirmed visual records of their whereabouts. The last known GPS signal for the group was recorded at the Rasuwagadhi Friendship Bridge, a key crossing that was subsequently washed away.

What has Eco-Trek (Alpine Eco Trek) told families so far?

Alpine Eco Trek has confirmed that multiple British clients on its Mount Kailash tour are missing, but families say the operator has been unable to provide detailed information. Ms Patel said Eco-Trek had not been able to give answers to relatives who have been contacting them in the days since the floods. The company has previously stated it lost contact with 12 British clients and four Nepalese guides who were travelling towards Mount Kailash when the flash floods struck.

How many British nationals are missing in Nepal after the floods?

The Nepal Tourism Board has said 33 UK citizens are among the foreign nationals unaccounted for following the disaster. Travel logs obtained by the Press Association indicate the missing Britons range in age from 13 to 65, with multiple women and men in their 40s, 50s and 60s listed. Other tour operators, including Kailash Journeys, have reported additional British guests missing, underscoring the scale of the tragedy for UK families.

What has the UK government said about supporting families?

A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) told LBC:

“The scenes along the Nepal-China border are devastating, and our thoughts remain with all those affected by this tragedy.”

The FCDO added:

“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.”

The department said it is coordinating closely with Nepali and Chinese authorities and has deployed consular staff to the region to ensure British nationals can access support.

Can family members travel to Nepal to help in the search?

Ms Patel said she has considered travelling to Nepal but has been advised that relatives would likely be “stuck in Kathmandu” and unable to reach the affected border area.

“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,”

She told LBC. She added that private helicopters had been taken over by the government for search and rescue operations, a move she said the family understood “100%”.

What is the latest death toll and how many remain missing?

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said on Friday that 469 bodies had been recovered, 977 people remained unaccounted for, and more than 3,000 had been rescued. Other updates have put the total number of missing above 1,400, with hundreds of foreign tourists among them. The Rasuwagadhi Friendship Bridge, along with 19 other bridges and about 40km of roadways, was washed away, severely hampering rescue and recovery efforts.

Who else from the UK is reported missing in the disaster?

Alongside Hemangini Patel and Hema Amin, other British nationals reported missing include Leena Bector from Slough, confirmed by Fishtail Tours and Travels as among 27 travellers linked to the company still unaccounted for. Families from Coventry, Surrey, East Sussex and elsewhere have also named relatives missing after pilgrimages and tours to the Mount Kailash region. Tour operator Alpine Eco Trek has listed missing British clients including women aged 44 to 65 and men in their 50s and 60s.
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What caused the floods and how severe was the damage?

The US Geological Survey said a “glacial collapse” triggered the wall of water and mud that swept through the Nepal–Tibet border area. The catastrophe destroyed villages, roads and bridges, with the Rasuwagadhi Friendship Bridge—a vital trade and tourism link—completely washed away. Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported hundreds of foreign nationals from dozens of countries missing, with rescue teams racing to reach survivors amid fears of further landslides and rising lake levels.

What are families saying as the search continues?

Ms Patel told LBC:

“Monday was the last time we’d spoken to them… We got a photo of them on Tuesday with the coach.”

She described the agonising wait for information, noting that the TikTok video was the clearest confirmation of their location before the flood. Other families have echoed similar frustrations, with relatives describing shock at the lack of information and the difficulty of reaching the remote, devastated border region.