A Plano, Texas, couple is among the Americans still unaccounted for after catastrophic flash floods and mudslides struck the Nepal-Tibet border, killing hundreds and leaving thousands missing.<\/p>\n
Madhu and Deepak Ahuja, who have lived<\/a> and worked in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for more than 30 years, were traveling<\/a> home from a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash when the disaster struck on Wednesday. The trip was planned to celebrate Deepak\u2019s 60th birthday and fulfill a long-held goal of visiting the sacred site.<\/p>\n Their daughters, Ashna and Shreya, told media outlets that they last spoke with their parents about 90 minutes before the flooding. The couple was reportedly at the Gyirong Port immigration center near the Nepal-China border when a massive wall of water and mud swept through the area.<\/p>\n Their phones have since been unreachable, with the last known location reportedly near Gyirong.<\/p>\n The family learned the couple was missing through members of the travel group with whom they had been traveling. Relatives are now working with authorities and preparing to travel to Nepal, while some family members are already on the ground trying to find information.<\/p>\n Family Holding on to Hope<\/p>\n The Ahujas are well known in the North Texas community. Originally from India, both have operated businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Madhu is a longtime CPA, while Deepak is an architectural engineer.<\/p>\n The couple has two daughters, who had expected to reunite with their parents in Dallas this weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a whirlwind of emotion,\u201d Deepak\u2019s brother, Sushil Ahuja, told CBS Texas, describing the family\u2019s efforts to find information.<\/p>\n Despite the uncertainty, relatives remain hopeful.<\/p>\n \u201cWe truly believe that they will be fine,\u201d Sushil said. \u201cMiracles happen and we truly believe they will be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n Death Toll and Missing Persons Rise<\/p>\n The flooding and mudslides followed<\/a> what scientists described as a massive glacier collapse in the Himalayas. The collapse sent water, ice, rocks and debris down river valleys in Tibet and Nepal, destroying buildings, bridges and roads.<\/p>\n Nepal\u2019s disaster-management authorities reported hundreds of deaths, while the number of people unaccounted for in Nepal rose to nearly 2,000 as additional reports were added. China previously reported hundreds missing on its side of the border.<\/p>\n More than 3,700 people had been rescued in Nepal, with thousands evacuated or airlifted from affected areas. Rescue operations have been complicated by thick layers of mud and damage to roads leading to the hardest-hit border region.<\/p>\n Authorities have also warned about the possibility of additional flooding from a newly formed high-altitude lake created after the glacier collapse.<\/p>\n Dozens Of Americans Unaccounted For<\/p>\n The Ahujas are among dozens of Americans affected<\/a> by the disaster. The U.S. State Department has said it is aware of approximately 90 Americans who may have been affected and has not reported any confirmed U.S. deaths.<\/p>\n Nepal\u2019s tourism authorities have separately reported that more than 60 U.S. nationals were among those missing in the country.<\/p>\n Many foreign visitors were in the region for trekking, work, or, like the Ahuja family, pilgrimages to Mount Kailash, a sacred site for Hindus, Buddhists and others.<\/p>\n The U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu is working<\/a> with local authorities and has pledged $500,000 in emergency assistance. Americans seeking information about family members in the region can contact the State Department at 1-888-407-4747.<\/p>\n