A married couple from Bloomfield, New Jersey, remains missing following catastrophic flooding and mudslides near the Nepal-Tibet border, where hundreds of people have been killed and thousands remain unaccounted for.
Bimalbhai Patel and his wife, Jaiminaben Patel, were in the region for a religious retreat when the disaster struck, according to family members and local officials. Their 9-year-old son is safe with relatives in India.
Family members have publicly appealed for help locating the couple as rescue operations continue across devastated Himalayan communities.
Bloomfield Mayor Jenny Mundell said the township is prepared to support the family and has also been in contact with the office of New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill regarding New Jersey residents affected by the disaster.
The Patels are among a growing number of Americans and other foreign nationals still unaccounted for after the floods. The U.S. State Department has said approximately 90 U.S. citizens remain unaccounted for. Many travelers were in the region as part of religious pilgrimages to Mount Kailash in Tibet.
The wider disaster has become one of the deadliest in the region in recent years. By Saturday, the confirmed death toll had risen to 676, with 669 deaths reported in Nepal and seven in Tibet, while nearly 3,000 people remained missing. More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal.
Rescue teams are continuing to search through mud, debris and damaged villages, while helicopters are being used to evacuate survivors and deliver supplies to areas cut off by destroyed roads and bridges.
For families in New Jersey and across the United States, the continuing lack of information has added another layer of uncertainty as the search enters its fourth day.
Sources: ABC7 New York; 6abc Philadelphia; Associated Press; New Jersey 101.5.
By NJ RADAR Team