Family in Desperate Search After Son Discovers Missing Dad May Have Been Trapped in Nepal Flood ####

A family in the United States is grappling with the possibility that their loved one, Jitendra Patel, may have been caught in the devastating flood that swept through the border region between Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The catastrophic event has left hundreds dead and thousands unaccounted for, including Patel, who was on a spiritual pilgrimage at the time.

Sunny Patel, Jitendra's son, stumbled upon a viral video of the flood's aftermath while browsing the internet. The footage, which depicted the relentless torrent of water and debris, brought a chilling realization to Sunny. "I watched the video and I just thought of how horrific it was. And then... probably 30 seconds later, it registered," he recounted.

The video led Sunny to believe that his father, who had last been in contact with him on Wednesday morning, could have been in the disaster's path. "My mom responded and said, 'That's exactly where he was,' actually," Sunny said, his voice filled with emotion.

Jitendra Patel had been traveling with a group to Mount Kailash, a sacred site for many, when the group encountered car troubles. Sunny speculated that these issues may have delayed their arrival at the mountain, potentially placing his father in harm's way.

The lack of information coming from China has been particularly frustrating for the family. "The most frustrating part, he said, is the lack of information coming out of China," reported Sunny. They have reached out to embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing, as well as the U.S. State Department, in hopes of securing information on Jitendra's whereabouts.

The family has also filed missing person reports with every agency they can think of, and some have been responsive. However, the uncertainty has been overwhelming. "We're trying to go on these media segments and get the awareness out there that there are people on the Chinese side that we aren't getting a ton of information about," Sunny explained.

The catastrophic flood, which has killed more than 600 people and left over 3,000 missing, is believed to have been caused by a large chunk of ice breaking off a glacier and falling into the Lhende Khola River. The resulting waves of rock, ice, and debris sent through the mountain river systems have been devastating.

As rescuers scoured the mud and debris for survivors, the death toll continued to rise. Employees in Trishuli, Nepal, were seen retrieving banknotes from a sludge-covered bank, a stark reminder of the widespread destruction.

The Patel family is holding onto hope, but the uncertainty is taking a toll. "He always, always, always said, 'God is good...' If you called him and said, 'How you doing?' He would say, 'I'm the best, God is great.' And he was just the most upbeat, positive person I've ever known," Sunny said of his father.

As the search for Jitendra Patel and the other missing individuals continues, the Patel family remains hopeful that they will soon have answers. "He believed in the goodness of everybody, probably to a fault," Sunny said. "He lived with kindness in his heart."