‘Lots of my friends are missing’: fears and prayers as Australia’s Nepali diaspora desperately seek answers after flood

As the community scrambles to check on loved ones, some hear from family members who fled to safety, while others pray for good news

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When Suman Shrestha opened his phone at work and saw vision of a thick, muddy https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/27/nepal-tibet-flash-flood-visual-guide-why-how-flooding-happened-floods-cause-reason-explained">wall of flood water smashing into towns in his country of birth, he almost did not believe what he was seeing.

“It was awful – I called my family to see if this was really happening and to see if the news reports were right,” says Shrestha, who moved to Australia from Kathmandu in 2017.