The Britons missing in Nepal 'tsunami from the sky': Nurse is among hundreds of Westerners missing amid fears thousands have died

A British nurse who was on a Hindu pilgrimage to a sacred mountain is among at least 33 UK nationals missing following the devastating 'tsunami in the sky' flash floods in Nepal.Sarada Simkhada, who is a senior nurse at the Darent Valley Hospital, left for Nepal last Saturday to take part in the holy trip.Ms Simkhada, from Dartford, moved to Britain more than two decades ago and was known at the hospital for being extremely hard working, a friend said.Her relatives are increasingly concerned for her wellbeing after she was last heard from a day before the flood on Wednesday.She is one of dozens of Brits missing in the Nepal-China border region since the tragedy, believed to have been triggered by a glacial collapse.Others unaccounted for include a 13-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy, a woman from Slough touring the Himalayas and another UK national who travelled to Nepal to see her sister.The floods are known to have killed at least 389 people, with around 1,500 more still missing - including hundreds of tourists.Ms Simkhada, like many of those unaccounted for, had been on a pilgrimage to Mount Kalisash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus and Buddhists believed to be the cosmic home of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Sarada Simkhada, who is a senior nurse at the Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, left for Nepal last Saturday to take part in a pilgrimage and has not been heard from since the floods Leena Bector, 53, from Slough, Berkshire, has also not been heard of after travelling to the region to see the Himalayas Houses lie partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026 Nabhi Das from Streatham in south London also remains unaccounted for, family members confirmed Scores of men in orange hi-vis jackets and hard hats fled in terror as they watched the mass of water rush at themShe was last heard from by her husband one day before the flooding. Posting on social media, Ms Simkhada's brother Shambhu wrote: 'My dear sister, wherever you are, please stay strong. We are praying for your safety every moment and waiting desperately for you to return home.'May God protect you and guide the rescue team to find you safely. Please keep my beloved sister in your prayers. We are waiting for good news.'Elsewhere, two British children, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, are also missing.And Leena Bector, 53, from Slough, Berkshire, has also not been heard of after travelling to the region to see the Himalayas.Ms Bector, managing director of a care agency, was supposed to be travelling with a friend but due to visa issues was unaccompanied by any friends or family at the time the flood hit at 8.30am yesterday.Her husband, Bhupesh, frantically checked her location after hearing of the disaster only to find her location was stationary and had not moved for seven hours, he told The Times.Mr Bector said he was 'very worried' about his wife's whereabouts after her disappearance while on an excursion with FishTail Tours. Horrified onlookers filmed the huge rock as it passed their homes An aerial view shows houses lying deluged in sludge after flash floods at Devighat, Bidur Municipality in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 27, 2026 As the surge of water twisted down the river, onlookers screamed in terror as it came hurtling towards themHe said her last known location was around an hour away from Friendship Bridge.Mr Bector has secured a spot on the next flight out to Nepal to join the search for his wife, who he has known for 30 years, himself.'I want to go to Kathmandu now... as I'm sure she's on the Nepal side.. wherever she is safe and sound,' he said.Nabhi Das from Streatham in south London also remains unaccounted for, family members confirmed.The University of Kent graduate, originally from Kenya, had been in the area of Nepal where the flood hit and had not been heard of since.Mr Das, thought to work in finance, had previously travelled in the Himalayas.Hema Amin, from Croydon, south London, was in Nepal with her sister and was last in touch with her husband Sunil at around 4.30pm on Monday.He told Sky News the pair had started a pilgrimage to Gosainkunda lake on Monday that was supposed to last until September 4. A drone shot shows ruined properties coated with mud The view down a street of Devighat Village on Thursday Rescue workers repair a damaged road leading to Gyirong PortMr Amin has not heard from his wife since the floods and described waiting for news as a 'horrible, horrible feeling'. 'We hope it's good news, but we don't know exactly what happened to them.'I'm devastated.'The government is supporting families of missing Brits, with a dedicated helpline set up for both those in the UK and Nepal.The UK has offered £5million to help the Nepalese government in the aftermath of the disaster.King Charles and Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales have all paid their respects following the floods, with the King saying he was 'heartbroken' and thanking first responders for their efforts. Footage of the floods circulating online showed a powerful tsunami plunging from mountains, with the wall reportedly reaching hundreds of feet high in places.Locals and tourists alike ran for their lives amid the deadly onslaught, which swept entire buildings away effortlessly. It is thought the flash flood was caused by a glacier collapse, which was so powerful it initially registered as a seismic event measuring 5.2 in magnitude.Chinese government geologist Guo Zhaocheng said the ice-avalanche debris flow that caused the mudslide traveled at about 50 meters (165ft) per second, leaving people little time to react, and extended for more than 20km (12 miles).Guo said a high-altitude ice avalanche triggered the debris flow, which picked up glacial moraine as it moved down a channel before becoming a mudslide that struck port facilities and areas on both sides of the China-Nepal border.And there are fears of a second flood within days after the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources has said a significant landslide dam, where rock, mud and debris have blocked the flow of water, has formed near where the Tsogyal River and the Purupqiangzangbu River meet in Nepal.As of Thursday morning, the estimated water volume had reached two million cubic meters, and the lake was overflowing.Another three million cubic meters of water is projected to enter the lake over the next three days. This puts the dam at risk of collapsing, which could flood the area again.And Nepal's disaster management authority warned of a potential new flood risk along the Bhotekoshi river after satellite images and preliminary analysis indicated that the river had been blocked and a lake had formed at the site of Wednesday's flood.The lake is rising and could burst, the authority said, urging residents and rescuers along the lower banks of the river to move to safe areas away from the river.The tally of missing in Tibet's Gyirong County was 558, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on Thursday, including 260 foreign nationals. China said the death toll stayed at three.It is unclear if these figures overlap with those released by Nepalese authorities. The missing foreigners in Nepal belonged to more than two dozen countries, including 288 from India, 63 from the United States, 51 from Malaysia, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 25 from Canada.