Shreya Ahuja, a 30-year-old physician residing in North Carolina, is currently navigating a desperate search for her parents, Deepak and Madhu Ahuja, who disappeared following catastrophic flash floods in Nepal. The couple, who are U.S. citizens and small business owners based in Dallas, had traveled to the region to celebrate her father’s 60th birthday with a pilgrimage trek to Mount Kailash.
Ahuja last spoke with her parents just hours before the disaster occurred as they were heading toward the border. The following morning, she began receiving alarming messages from relatives regarding the flooding. "I tried texting them. I tried calling them. And initially, I wasn't too concerned," Ahuja told Morning Edition. "I feel like everyone thinks, what are the chances that they were in that exact spot?"
The scale of the disaster is vast, with police in Nepal reporting that over 500 people have been killed on the Nepalese side of the border. Across the region, more than 1,500 people remain missing after nearly 30-foot-high waves surged down a river between Tibet and Nepal. According to Ahuja, the last known location for her parents was the Gyirong border crossing between China and Nepal. She noted that CCTV footage shows the destruction of the building where their group was expected to be.
Currently staying in Washington, D.C., with her grandparents, Ahuja described the agonizing wait for news. "It's essentially been one long day. Haven't really slept," she said. "We're just really hoping that we can get to them in time."
Ahuja is advocating for immediate action, calling on individuals to contact their local legislators to urge greater collaboration between India, Nepal, China, and the United States. Furthermore, she is pushing for the authorization of Starlink in Nepal, explaining that friends at SpaceX informed her that the company had attempted to deploy technology to the area but lacked the necessary government approval. "These are all tangible things that could really help us get into contact with people on the ground," she stated.
From left, Ashna Ahuja, Deepak Ahuja, Akash Mahtani, Shreya Ahuja and Madhu Ahuja attended Mahtani and Shreya Ahuja's wedding in Asheville, N.C., in 2025. Shreya Ahuja hide caption
The radio interview was produced and edited by Lilly Quiroz and Adam Bearne. The digital version was edited by Treye Green.
