Two Metro Vancouver couples missing after Nepal mudslide

Two Metro Vancouver couples remain missing after catastrophic flooding and a mudslide struck Nepal's Timure region, where they were travelling with a large tour group.

Dhaval Shah and his wife, Megha, of Port Moody had travelled to Tibet on a long-planned trip booked through Himalayan Glacier, according to Dhaval's brother, Keval Shah. He said he last spoke with Dhaval on Sunday and received photos from the couple before news of the disaster emerged Wednesday.

Keval said messages and calls to the couple would not go through after the flooding. Their tour group was last known to be staying at a hotel about 1.5 kilometres from a Nepal-Tibet border checkpoint that was destroyed by mud and ice. He said helicopters had not been able to land in the area.

Coquitlam residents Sumit and Shubakshi Rawla were also on the tour. Their daughters said they spoke with their parents only hours before the mudslide and have been in contact with Canadian officials in Nepal, but have received no concrete information. They called for reliable updates and possible search assistance.

Keval Shah said he hopes authorities can help locate his brother and sister-in-law, while recognizing that families from many countries are awaiting news of loved ones. He said the family is holding onto hope.