H.E Dr Sudhir Ruparelia, the Nepalese Honorary Consul General to Uganda has expressed his condolences to the victims of the major floods and landslides that struck the Nepal-Tibet border.
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A torrent of water, mud and debris swept away communities in Nepal on 26 August 2026, killing hundreds and leaving hundreds more missing.
In his message, Dr Sudhir said; ‘’I am deeply saddened by the devastating floods in Nepal. My heartfelt condolences go to the families who have lost loved ones, and my thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragedy’’, said Dr Sudhir.
He commend the Government of Nepal, rescue teams, volunteers and citizens for their courage and tireless efforts.
‘’At this difficult time, we stand in solidarity with the people of Nepal and pray for their safety, strength and swift recovery’’, added Dr Sudhir.
It should be noted that at 8.37am on Wednesday, an enormous section of a glacier in the Himalayas sheared free and crashed on to the valley floor in Nepal’s Langtang national park, about 35 miles (60km) north of the capital, Kathmandu, near the mountainous Nepal-Tibet border.
The collapse triggered a huge release of water, mud, rock and ice that thundered down valleys and swept down the Lhende Khola, Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers.
The high-speed flash floods careered towards northern Nepalese towns, including areas popular with mountaineering tourists and pilgrims.
Horrifying videos from the Gyirong border post, which connects Nepal and Tibet, showed people running for their lives as the wall of debris obliterated buildings and swept away lines of buses.
Houses and roads were washed away in seconds. In a stark illustration of the deluge’s deadly power, a bridge crossing the Trishuli River was shown in a video being washed away in a tsunami-like flood. Multi-storey homes were quickly submerged as the torrent gouged through the riverside town.
A video showed an immense flood swallowing a river valley as it surged towards Betrawati Bazaar, an important historical and pilgrimage town.
Rescue operations were difficult on Wednesday because of damage to infrastructure and higher than normal river levels. Helicopters could not land in Nepal’s affected areas of Syabrubesi and Timure, in the Rasuwa region, which has a population of about 50,000.
Rescuers waded through mud and sludge looking for survivors after flood waters engulfed the lower floors of multi-storey buildings.
Nepal’s army was deployed to help rescue people believed trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower plant located in the country’s worst-hit district. Like elsewhere in the disaster zone, their work was complicated by thick layers of mud that covered the site.
The Himalayan mountain range spans several countries in south Asia and has many of the world’s highest peaks and remaining glaciers.
It should be remembered that H.E Sudhir Ruparelia was last year voted the best honorary consul general in Uganda following a three-month survey. The survey recognized his outstanding performance and contributions to promoting trade, tourism, and investment between Uganda and Nepal.
Ugandans praised Ruparelia for enabling them to trade with Nepal and creating job opportunities for some in the Asian country. Sudhir is described by Ugandans as one who has enabled them to trade with Nepal and some now have jobs in Nepal.
