A man who attended high school in the Windsor area is among four Canadians missing in Nepal following a devastating flash flood, as members of Windsor’s growing Nepali community anxiously await word about friends and loved ones. Ishan Patel, 33, graduated from Sandwich Secondary School in LaSalle before moving to the U.S. to pursue higher education. Earlier this year, Patel completed his medical fellowship and bought a home in Michigan — one he had not yet had the chance to move into before travelling overseas. His cousin, Neeral Patel, described Ishan as “the smart one in the family,” someone who had spent years working toward the life he was only beginning to build. He was in Nepal with his wife, Akanksha Patel, 32, his mother, Shilpa Patel, 59, and his father-in-law, Umeshkumar Patel, 56, when the group disappeared. A missing-person poster circulated by extended family says the four were travelling together on a tour with Himalayan Glacier and were last seen during a severe flash flood in Rasuwa, Nepal, on Aug. 26. Family members say Ishan and his loved ones were supposed to spend multiple weeks in Nepal around the time of his birthday. Ishan’s mother, Shilpa, was supposed to be in Nepal for three weeks, but Ishan was supposed to return early after two weeks. The glacier collapse, which resulted in the devastating flash floods, happened on Aug. 26 — the exact day of Ishan’s 32nd birthday. “There was no communication. There was nothing,” Neeral told CTV News. “We tried messaging him. We tried getting in touch with the tour group, but there’s been no contact for six days now.” According to Neeral, the tour operator conducted a helicopter pass over the area several days after the flooding and found the hotel where the group had been staying was no longer there. “They have no point of contact as well, and they’re at a standstill,” Neeral said, adding a family member has since travelled to Nepal in hopes of finding answers. The uncertainty surrounding the disaster is also being felt by members of Windsor’s Nepali community. Windsor resident Dinesh Singh Malla, who is originally from Nepal, said his immediate family members are safe, but some friends he previously worked with on a hydropower project have been reported missing. Malla has experience working in humanitarian response in Nepal and said he previously worked with UNICEF as a water, sanitation and hygiene, or WASH, specialist. He said he remains in regular contact with friends back home as rescue efforts involving Nepalese authorities and international teams continue. Malla said if he were not in Canada right now and was still living in Nepal, he would be “on the frontline in the humanitarian response team.” Being thousands of kilometres away has been particularly difficult because of that experience. “I feel so sad because the country really needs manpower right now,” Malla said, adding he would consider returning to Nepal if given an opportunity to assist with the humanitarian response. Malla said Windsor’s Nepali and Nepali-speaking community has continued to grow, with residents now looking for ways to help those affected by the disaster. For those wishing to contribute financially, Malla is encouraging donations through the Government of Nepal’s Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund. “This is a time where all we have to unite and support each other,” Malla said. For Ishan’s family, however, the immediate focus remains finding the four missing Canadians. Neeral said relatives have received little official information and have largely been trying to piece together developments through news reports, social media and people on the ground. “Officially, we haven’t heard anything,” Neeral said. “What do they need? Do they need technology? Do they need rescue teams? What can we do? We’re hopeless at the moment because we are just waiting around.” The disappearance has been especially painful for a family that had watched Ishan reach one milestone after another. “He just finished his fellowship, and it was supposed to be the start of his life,” Neeral said. “He didn’t even step into the new house that he bought. It was going to be a glorious beginning for him. And it just ended. He didn’t even start. It was just the beginning.” For now, Neeral said, the family can do little more than wait, pray and hope someone can provide the answers they desperately need. “We just want our family members to come back.”
