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The number of Canadian citizens and permanent residents unaccounted for since the Nepal flash flooding has risen to 32, including Coquitlam couple Sumit and Shubakshi Rawla.
Their daughter says they were on a guided pilgrimage in the region and haven’t been heard from since the morning of Aug. 26.
“We’ve been so worried,” Kenisha Rawla told Global News.
“Me and my sister personally have made over 200 phone calls to our parents just hoping that even for a moment if they get a second of signal they can contact us.”
The foreign affairs minister is urging caution as the search continues.
“Those 32 Canadians are unaccounted for but no Canadian deaths have been confirmed,” Anita Anand said on Friday.
The Rawlas were travelling with Port Moody residents Dhaval and Megha Shah, who also remain unaccounted for.
“They were somewhere in that location and the company lost contact with anybody at around 8:30 that morning,” Nikita Shah, relative of Megha and Dhaval Shah said on Thursday.
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“So we don’t know where they have been since then.”
Thousands are still missing after the tragedy and at least 579 people are confirmed dead.
The scale of the destruction is visible at one Nepal’s main border crossings into China, where the area is buried in mud and debris.
“Further north, some of the communities are completely cut out,” Tamara Demuria, Corus International Chief Humanitarian Officer, said.
“We cant even get there to assess what’s left. The damage is way more severe.”
Ottawa is providing $5 million in humanitarian aid and sending five consular officials to Nepal.
But some want Canada to go further.
“We really want to really push the Canadian government to help by sending rescue teams because we know there’s so many Canadians there too, aside from our parents, and their families must be worried sick like we are,” Rawla said.
For families still waiting, there’s little to do but search for information and find strength in each other.
“Community support, emotional support, are what one should seek at times like this,” Gaurav Subedi with the Nepal Cultural Society of B.C. said.
“But miracles do happen.”
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