At 9:02 am on Wednesday, Milan Kharil, a 32-year-old geologist engineer at the Trishuli 1 hydropower plant in Rasuwa district, Nepal, alerted a junior colleague to seek higher ground as a flood was imminent. Just 24 minutes later, at 9:26 am, Milan's phone transmitted its last location, which was over two hours away by road. Two days later, he remains missing, leaving his sister, Priya Kharil, clinging to hope.
“"Some workers at the project told me that they had seen him rush out of the facility. But there is no other information," Priya said, tears streaming down her face inside the Shree No. 1 Military Training Centre in Trishuli.
This military center has become the main hub for search and rescue operations as Nepalese security forces search the valleys and hills for survivors of the devastating flash flood that swept through districts along the border with Tibet. As of Friday evening, the official death toll stood at 579, with 1,924 people reported missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Among the missing are at least 320 Indian nationals, as stated by India's Ministry of External Affairs.
Every time a helicopter landed at the camp, bringing survivors from remote areas, hope flickered in Priya's heart. She would rise, anticipating news of her brother. Many others, like Priya, are waiting for their loved ones to be found or for confirmation of their worst fears.
