News | Mail Online
· collected 2026-08-28 · by Sam Greenhill, Vivek Chaudhary, Perkin Amalaraj, Kristina Wemyss, Elspeth Rees
A former Mrs India UK and her family from Surrey are among the 33 British tourists missing in Nepal after a devastating flash flood along the Himalayan border with Tibet. The death toll in Nepal has risen to 469, while more than 1,500 people are still missing overall. The Sahu family, including Surabhi, 44, her husband Santosh, 46, and their children Spandan, 18, and Syna, 13, were on an adventure trek when the flood occurred, and phone lines to reach them are down. A poignant photograph of the family with their tour group shows them happy and laughing before the disaster.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A catastrophic flash flood occurred on August 26, 2026, on the Nepal-Tibet border, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. The disaster was triggered by a collapsed glacier, which sent massive amounts of water and debris downstream, resulting in the deaths of at least 273 people and leaving over 1,300 missing. The floodwaters swept through several communities, including Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with many villages and infrastructure destroyed. Rescue teams were deployed to search for survivors, but their efforts were hindered by the remote location and challenging terrain.
The disaster also affected Tibet, where a mudslide hit the land border crossing at Gyirong Port, causing major casualties and disruptions to transportation and communication networks. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered "all-out" efforts to search for those missing and to strengthen monitoring and early warning systems to prevent similar disasters in the future.
The Nepal Tourism Board reported that 25 Canadians were among those missing, and officials warned of a high risk of secondary collapses or landslides as rain continued in the affected area. The disaster has highlighted the issue of rapidly melting Himalayan ice and the need for better preparedness and emergency response measures in the region.
Written for “Nepal Tibet Flood Disaster” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 57 other(s) covering the same event.
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A millionaire family-of-four from Surrey including a former Mrs India UK are among the missing Britons in Nepal following a devastating flash flood this week.
Days on from the initial disaster, rescuers are still scouring the mud and debris left by the flood along the Himalayan border between Nepal and China-controlled Tibet.
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rescuers → see → Nepal
Police in Nepal said on Friday morning that the country's death toll had risen to 469 from 390 a day earlier.
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toll → say → 390
China had not updated its report of three deaths in Tibet.
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China → update → Tibet
More than 1,500 people are missing overall.
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people → miss → ?
Mr and Mrs Sahu ran a successful technology company in London together before he set up a thriving pharmaceutical business.
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he → run → business
The family live in a £1.3million six-bedroom house in Cobham, Surrey.
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family → live → Cobham
They travelled to India last week and then on to the Nepalese-Tibetan trek.
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They → travel → trek
They were due to return in ten days before the start of the new school year.
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They → return → year
A poignant final photograph of them with their group – mostly Britons – on the Alpine Eco Tours trip shows them happy and laughing as they pose by their bus amid the stunning peaks of the Himalayas.
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they → show → Himalayas
The group was last heard from as they crossed the frontier from Nepal into Tibet – at the exact moment on Wednesday that a horrifying 600ft torrent of ice, mud and rocks engulfed the Giyrong border crossing, with CCTV footage showing people running for their lives.
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people → hear → lives
The organisers of the tour group say they have been frantically trying to reach them ever since.
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they → say → them
There are hopes the tourists are alive and waiting to be rescued, but phone lines are down and military are struggling to reach the mountainous area.
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military → be → area
The Sadu family were well-travelled and on a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a religious site for Hindus and Buddhists in Tibet.
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family → travel → Tibet
A now poignant photo of an Alpine Eco Tours tour group cheerfully posing in front of their bus.
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group → pose → bus
The group included a girl of 13
Mrs Sadu, a high-flying chemistry graduate from Mumbai who became a banker before moving to Ireland to work for Dell Computers
Mrs Sadu is a high-flying chemistry graduate from Mumbai who became a banker before moving to Ireland to work for Dell Computers.
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who → include → Computers
Her husband Santosh is an Irish citizen, and the family moved to Surrey where they became beacons of their community.
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they → move → community
In 2018, Mrs Sadu won the Mrs India UK beauty contest – after being encouraged to enter it by her family – which she described as 'a dream come true'.
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she → win → dream
She added it showcased 'the best in women… not just in respect of physical beauty but in the many other capacities in which they are not always acknowledged or appreciated'.
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they → add → which
As well as her successful business career, Mrs Sadu is an avid reader who promotes literature to her legion of Instagram followers.
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who → promote → followers
She has posted photos of herself visiting favourite spots of England, including the Cotswolds.
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herself → post → Cotswolds
Her former banker husband Santosh has gone from strength to strength and is the founder and chief executive of Charac, a digital platform helping pharmacies improve deliveries to patients.
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pharmacies → go → patients
Their son Spandan is due to start a law degree at Durham University.
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son → start → University
Neighbours in Cobham spoke of their shock at hearing the news the family are missing, describing them as popular and well-loved members of the community.
Jen Sutton told the Daily Mail: 'They're a wonderful family and Surabhi, who we call Sue, is a beautiful and caring woman.
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we → speak → who
In 2018, Mrs Sadu won the Mrs India UK beauty contest - after being encouraged to enter it by her family
Among those still missing is Samitra Sapkota (left), the 25-year-old wife of British man Pramod Poudel (right).
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Sapkota → win → Poudel
Neither are related to the Sadu family
Pramod Poudel's mother Tulisa and brother Pradip (right) are missing
Pramod Poudel (right) with his wife Samitra, who is missing alongside Pramod's mother, brother and uncle
Sarada Simkhada, a senior nurse at the Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, left for Nepal last Saturday for a pilgrimage
An aerial view shows houses lying deluged in sludge after flash floods at Devighat, Bidur Municipality, along the confluence of the Trishuli and Tadi rivers in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 27, 2026
'
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view → relate → August
She helps to care for me and is an absolutely delightful and charming person.
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She → help → me
We're devastated by this news and are praying that they'll be ok.'
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they → devastate → news
The family purchased their home seven years ago after moving to the UK from Ireland.
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family → purchase → Ireland
Santosh and Surabhi were both born in India and studied at prestigious universities in the country.
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Santosh → bear → country
Ms Sutton added: 'They travel to India regularly and had gone on short trip to visit Santosh's dad who's not been well.
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who → add → dad
Nepal was just a little adventure for them before returning home.
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Nepal → return → them
They told me that they planned to get home in time for Syna's school.
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they → tell → school
I hope to god that they're found and come home.'
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they → hope → god
Rescuers continue to search for the thousands still missing, as Nepali and Chinese authorities warned of further flooding from a lake that formed upstream after Wednesday's disaster and was already overflowing.
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that → continue → disaster
They urged people in potentially affected areas to move to safer ground.
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They → urge → ground
Among those still missing is Samitra Sapkota, the 25-year-old wife of British man Pramod Poudel.
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Sapkota → miss → Poudel
Poudel, a 35-year-old Briton who runs a Nepalese street food company in Sussex, told The Times on Thursday evening that he had spoken to his wife the day of the flood and that everything was fine: 'I was talking to my wife at 4.30am on Wednesday and everything was absolutely fine.
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everything → run → Wednesday
I phoned her again and of course I couldn’t get through …
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I → phone → course
I initially thought it was only a small flood so I didn’t think anything of it.'
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I → think → it
A flood-hit area in Nuwakot, Nepal on Thursday, August 27, 2026
Nabhi Das from Streatham in South London also remains unaccounted for
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Das → hit → London
…and 35 more, not listed.
