New York doctor issues desperate plea for parents missing in catastrophic Nepal floods as death toll rises

A New York doctor is frantically searching for her parents after they dissappeared in the catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 270 people in Nepal and left hundreds more missing.

Rahhika Sharma said her parents, Ramesh, 65 and Neelam, 64, were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash when the couple crossed the Nepal-China border at around 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

About 40 minutes later, devastating floods and landslide struck the area.

Sharma told NBC that she has received no word from her parents since the disaster, describing them as 'missing and unaccounted' for.

She said the uncertainty has made it 'the worst 24 hours of mine and my brother's life'.

Nepal's disaster management authority said Thursday that more than 800 people were missing on the country's side of the border, including around 400 foreign tourists.

Among the missing foreign nationals are 65 people from the USA, while 178 tourists from India are also unaccounted for.

People from more than 30 countries are believed to be missing.

The Nepal Police said the death toll on its side of the border had reached 162, with 41 people hospitalized

More than 200 Nepali nationals were missing including around 80 members of security forces stationed in the affected area.

Three deaths have also been reported in Tiber, where 558 people remain missing, according to local authorities.

Sharma, who described herself as a 'New Yorker always,' has been trying to use social media to connect with people on the ground.

On Wednesday, she posted a plea to X asking anyone with contacts in Nepal, Gyirong, Tibet, hospitals, rescue teams, government agencies, or local media to get in touch.

She wrote: "I would greatly appreciate any help. Any contacts, any information."

What caused the deadly floods in Nepal?

The disaster initially prompted confusion over what had triggered the sudden flooding.

Nepal's foreign minister Shisir Khanal told parliament that early reports suggested an avalanche caused by an earthquake may have been responsible.

The US Geological Survey initially reported a 4.4-magnitude earthquake around 41 miles north of Kathmandu before later confirming that no earthquake had actually occurred.

It is now thought a glacier collapse caused the disaster.

Al Jazeera reported that a huge section of ice broke away from a Himalayan glacier at an elevation of around 17,000 feet, creating an ice avalanche that swept debris into the Lhende River.

The debris temporarily blocked the river before the resulting dam collapsed, sending a powerful surge downstream. Water levels on the Trishuli River rose 27 feet in just 30 minutes, while around 25 miles of roads were washed away and 19 bridges were destroyed.

Dozens of homes were swept away, with survivors reportedly clinging to mango trees as floodwaters overwhelmed villages. The UN estimates around 10,000 homes need immediate relief.

International assistance is now being mobilized. The US has committed $500,000 and is sending a disaster response adviser, while India has sent 22,046 pounds of relief supplies.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has set aside around $1.24 million, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was ready to 'mobilize further European assistance.'