Metro Manila, Philippines – The family of a Filipino doctor is seeking the public’s help after he was reported missing from catastrophic floods that struck the Nepal-China border, even as Philippine authorities verify reports from Nepali counterparts.
Dr. Juan Carlos Manalo has been out of reach since the deluge on Aug. 26. He was in Nepal as part of the Isha Sadhguru Kailash Yatra pilgrimage, according to a social media post by his sister, Chiara Manalo.
Chiara granted NewsWatch Plus the permission to publish the information about her brother.
The family said Manalo’s last communication was on Aug. 25 at 1:21 p.m. Philippine time, or 11:06 a.m. local time, while his group was near the Gyirong Immigration Office, a border crossing between Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
“Please help us look for my brother,” Chiara Manalo wrote.
She said the family has not heard from Manalo since the disaster and appealed to anyone with information about his whereabouts or his group’s location to contact them.
“Receiving and seeing the news about the catastrophe has been very difficult for us. We humbly ask to include him in your prayers, that he may return to us safely soon,” she said.
The family also asked for help connecting with agencies that could coordinate with Nepali authorities involved in the ongoing search and rescue operations.
Nepal police report lists Filipino
A list shared online by Manalo’s family, which they said was from the Nepal police, includes Juan Carlos among foreign nationals reported missing after the floods.
A separate police situation report dated Aug. 27 lists 644 Nepali and foreign nationals reported missing in the disaster, including one Filipino national.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) gave an initial update on efforts in the area.
“The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi and the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Kathmandu, Nepal are in active coordination with local authorities and stand ready to extend assistance to affected Filipinos. They are awaiting confirmation from Nepali authorities on a Filipino national who is reported missing,” it said.
The DFA did not identify the Filipino national pending confirmation from Nepali authorities.
The flash floods hit Nepal’s Rasuwa district, wiping out communities and infrastructure in its path, including immigration facilities near the Nepal-China border where pilgrims and travelers bound for Tibet’s Mount Kailash were stranded.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing despite the attendant risks of a possible secondary flooding.
