Toronto's Nepali

Toronto's Nepali-Canadian community waits for word of loved ones after flash floods

Calls, texts going unanswered, devastation unbelievable, says Toronto resident with friends in Nepal

Members of Nepali-Canadian community in Toronto are trying to reach loved ones while local groups organize to send help after flash flooding in parts of Nepal on Wednesday.

At least 160 people were reported killed and hundreds missing as of Wednesday evening following massive floods in a border area between Nepal and China. The Nepal Tourism Board says the number of missing includes at least 24 Canadian tourists.

An avalanche from a glacier likely caused the flash flood, according to climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Khagendra Kandel, a board member of Nepalese Canadian Community Services (NCCS) in Toronto, said he has been trying to reach university friends working as civil engineers in power stations in the affected area, but his calls have been going to voice mail and text messages are not being answered.

It took him five hours of texting to learn that one friend is safe. He said the friend survived by climbing up a mountain with his wife and twin children, but he has yet to hear from many other friends.

"My friends whom I spend my four years of undergrad, they are missing out of nowhere. Until yesterday, we are texting, we are sending these screenshots, jokes and news, but now, they are not delivered."

'Everything is out of service now': community member

Kandel said he is having trouble processing what he is seeing on the news.

"Last night, when I spoke to my friends before sleeping, everything was all fine. In this six hours duration, everything changed," he said.

"This location where this incident happened, this is in a mountainous area and this flash flood, it swept away everything, the buildings, the roads, the bridges, the telecommunications towers, hydro poles, everything is out of service," he added.

"Honestly, there are so many people missing now, and every missing person has their family back home waiting for the call back or the text message. Many families, they are still trying to figure out where are their relatives, loved ones."

Kandel said the devastation is unbelievable.

"For others who are watching this news, this is just the news ... But for us, for Nepalis, it is our community, our relatives, our friends are missing. They are out of reach."

'We want to help any way we can': community leader

Sudarshan Sapkota, president of the NCCS in Toronto, said the footage coming out of Nepal is "very disturbing" and a meeting was to be held on Wednesday by local groups to discuss ways to raise funds for affected communities.

"We want to help any way we can," Sapkota said. "Our prayers are with everyone affected. We hope those who are out of contact are safe."

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Sapkota said the organization is receiving many calls from Nepali people living in Canada who cannot contact family members.

"They're asking us if we can help," he said.

Too soon to talk about rebuilding, official says

Meanwhile, the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) in Canada is already raising funds to help.

Punya Marahatta, senior vice-president of the NRNA-Canada and an expert in disaster risk management, said there are three phases after a disaster — rescue, relief, rebuilding — and it's too soon to talk about rebuilding.

"We are not yet in a position to think about rebuilding, how to rebuild it, but what we are trying to do is to provide immediate relief for now," he said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a post on X on Wednesday that the Canadian government is closely following the situation.

"The flash floods along Nepal’s Bhotekoshi River are absolutely devastating," Carney said.

"Canadians are thinking of all those in distress right now, those who have lost a loved one, and all those who are still waiting for answers," he added.

"As rescue efforts continue, Canada stands ready to provide support."

With files from CBC's Naama Weingarten, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press