Bay Area families await word on loved ones missing in Nepal-Tibet floods

By Da Lin

More than 600 people have been confirmed dead and thousands remain missing after flash floods and mudslides along the Nepal-Tibet border, including dozens of Americans whose families are anxiously waiting for news.

Among those missing is a 48-year-old Milpitas father who works as an engineer for Santa Clara-based tech company Everpure, Inc., formerly known as Pure Storage.

Praneeth Sajepa said his older brother, Prabhath Sajeepa, was crossing from Tibet into Nepal on Wednesday morning as part of a large group traveling back from a holy pilgrimage.

Family members believe Prabhath may have been near a building that was swallowed by a flash flood at a major border crossing. Surveillance video shows people running as floodwaters engulf the building.

“All we want to figure out is whether he was inside the building, outside the building, or how far he was away from the building,” Praneeth said.

Praneeth, speaking from India, said his brother lives in Milpitas and has two children. He said his brother is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

“It has been a very hard last couple of days,” Praneeth said. “So it’s been very tough to handle.  And we have been going through a tough time right now.”

He said watching the videos of the flooding has been difficult but that he has not given up hope.

“Going through those videos, it was very, very tough to digest,” he said.

Everpure, Inc. said in a statement that it is working with authorities to locate Prabhath and support his family.

“We are doing everything within our power to support efforts to establish contact and locate Prabhath,” the company wrote in a statement. “Our team is working continuously with local authorities, emergency services, and diplomatic officials to support search and rescue operations. Our immediate priority is supporting Prabhath’s family during this incredibly difficult time.”

Other Bay Area families are also waiting for information about loved ones who may have been caught in the disaster.

Jay Tamang of Marin County said he is searching for friends from the village where he grew up. He said people from his village and his wife’s village are among those still missing.

“People from my village, and people from my wife’s village, there are a lot of people still missing,” Tamang said.

Communication has been difficult because of the disaster and damage to telecommunications infrastructure.

“At this point, due to lack of telecommunications, we really couldn’t contact,” Tamang said.

Another Bay Area family reached out to CBS News Bay Area about Sudhindra Yapalparvi, a missing father who lives in Virginia while his son and other relatives live in the Bay Area. The family said he was traveling with a group of U.S. tourists on a pilgrimage.

For the families waiting for word, hope remains their strongest source of comfort.

“We are hoping for some miracle to happen,” Praneeth said.

He said he is prepared to travel to Tibet and Nepal once he receives more information about where search crews are looking for his brother.

The disaster has also prompted a response from the Bay Area’s Nepali community. The U.S. Census shows thousands of Nepali families live in the East Bay, particularly in West Contra Costa County.

Dozens of people gathered Friday night at the Nepali Community Center in Richmond for a candlelight vigil honoring those killed or missing in the floods. Participants arranged candles on the ground to spell the word “PRAY.”