Agonising Wait
Since a catastrophic flood struck the border area between Nepal and Tibet, Prajval Haldia in London has had no word from his parents who were on a pilgrimage in the region at the time.
The 22-year-old's parents were part of a group of 16 members of a Hindu temple in south London who were on an organised trip when the tsunami-like disaster happened on Wednesday. "We get a call every day from a foreign office, but they don't really have any news," Haldia told AFP on Saturday.
The group belong to the Sanatan Mandir and Community Centre in Coulsdon. A priest, Nabhi Nandan Das, was among the pilgrims, who were due to visit the sacred Hindu site of Mount Kailash.
Haldia learned of the floods from media reports around midday on Wednesday and immediately tried to call his parents. "Obviously the ringing tone didn't even come up. It was just straight to voicemail," he recalled.
"Slowly, obviously the picture came together that they were supposed to be in the same area where exactly where it hit," he described. "We know that they had left for the border crossing at Gyirong in the morning, and there's been no contact from them since they reached at least the Nepalese side of the border crossing."
Four days after the disaster, the young man still has "no news at all". According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 33 British nationals are among the hundreds of foreigners reported missing.
"I'm the only child, the only next of kin really in the family," Haldia told AFP. "Spending hours on a plane at the moment in the situation, I don't think is the right move because it's so early on." He also worries about feeling useless on the ground and even making the rescue effort "more problematic".
"I think the focus should obviously be on rescuing as many people as possible from this disaster," he added, hoping that his parents will be found safe and sound.