HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A Tampa woman is hoping for news about her aunt, who is among the more than 3,000 people missing after catastrophic floods in Nepal and Tibet that have killed at least 800 people.
Nepal authorities are warning of potential new flooding as search efforts continue.
The missing include people from more than a dozen countries who were in the region to work, visit the mountains or make a pilgrimage to a sacred peak.
Pragati Ghimire, who lived in Nepal through her teenage years and now lives in Tampa, said the disaster has been difficult to watch from afar.
“My country is going through a lot of pain, but when it’s someone you know, it becomes even more difficult,” Ghimire said.
She said she had a close relationship with her aunt. Growing up, she said, their families spent a lot of time together.
“Her daughter and I were the same age,” Ghimire said. “We studied together, we did stuff together, we met every day, we did all things together. So that’s why it makes it so much more painful.”
Ghimire said she worries natural disasters like this could become more common unless something changes. She said she does not want to see a disaster like this happen to anyone.
For her aunt, Ghimire said she is holding onto hope.
“I just hope that you can be found and be safe,” she said.