Indian Americans seek US help for 90 missing in Nepal

September 4, 2026

Washington: Families of Americans missing after devastating floods in Nepal have appealed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for an expanded rescue operation, seeking helicopters, drones, satellite imagery and specialised search teams to help locate their relatives.

The families said the US State Department had informed them that 90 Americans remained unaccounted for, while five had been rescued after flash floods swept through Nepal’s Rasuwa district on August 26.

Those listed as missing include people from the United States, Australia, Canada, Britain, Singapore, France and South Africa. Many of those on the list are of Indian origin.

Families seek US military helicopters, drones

Many of the missing people were travelling to or from Mount Kailash, the sacred pilgrimage site in Tibet, along a route through Nepal that crosses the Chinese border at Gyirong.

In an August 29 letter to Rubio, the families said: “We are Americans, and we are asking our government to rescue our family members now.”

The letter was signed by relatives and friends of 57 missing people, including 31 Americans and 26 people of other nationalities.

According to the families, their relatives were travelling with pilgrims, guides and workers from India and several other countries when the floods struck the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli valleys.

The families thanked the US Embassy in Kathmandu, as well as Nepali soldiers and pilots involved in rescue efforts, but said the scale of the American response had not been sufficient given the number of people still missing.

“We do not doubt the good faith of the people working on this,” they said, while stressing that the urgency of the response had not matched the situation involving the 90 missing Americans.

The families have asked Washington to formally offer Nepal US military helicopters capable of operating at high altitude, along with crews, fuel and ground support.

They have also sought drones equipped with thermal and infrared cameras, technology capable of detecting people trapped under debris, equipment to locate mobile phones and temporary cellular coverage over the affected valley.

Families ask for satellite surveillance and rescue teams

The families have also requested US satellite surveillance of the route from Rasuwagadhi to Trishuli Bazar and Devighat.

They specifically sought radar imagery capable of operating through cloud cover to assist search teams in locating missing people and identifying areas affected by the floods.

Another request calls for the United States to move an urban search-and-rescue team to Kathmandu, allowing it to be deployed immediately if Nepal agrees to the assistance.

The families have also asked for greater consular support, including a dedicated liaison for each affected family, US consular officers at hospitals treating survivors and officials positioned closer to the rescue operation in Rasuwa.

Missing travellers may be near Nepal-China border

Some of the missing travellers were last known to be on the Gyirong side of the Nepal-China border, according to the letter.

The families have therefore urged Washington to seek consular access and information from China and coordinate rescue efforts with other countries whose citizens were travelling in the same groups.

They specifically called for coordination with Australia, the United Kingdom, India and Singapore, whose nationals were among those travelling with their relatives.

The American citizens listed as missing include residents of Illinois, Virginia, Texas, New York, New Jersey, California, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee and Ohio.

The families continue to press the US government for a broader international rescue effort as concerns grow over the fate of those still unaccounted for following the devastating floods in Nepal.