Family and friends have become increasingly concerned about the fate of a 33-year-old man who grew up in Windsor-Essex.
According to multiple social media posts from friends and extended family, Ishan Patel has been missing since the August 26 flash floods that submerged a section of the Nepal-Tibet border.
Patel previously lived in LaSalle and attended Sandwich Secondary School. He moved to the U.S. to pursue further education at Wayne State University in Detroit. He and his wife, Akansha, 32, are now U.S. citizens.
The day of the flooding was Patel’s birthday.
Various social media posts say that the couple was part of a tour group visiting Himalayan glaciers. They were last seen at a hotel in the Nepalese district of Rasuwa at about 7:30 a.m. local time, or 5:45 p.m. Eastern time, on August 25.
Other missing family members include Ishan's mother, Shilpa Patel, 59, and father-in-law, Umeshkumar Patel, 56.
The BBC reported on Monday evening that at least 939 people are dead in Nepal after flash floods hit a stretch of area along the Nepal-Tibet border, and over 4,200 people are missing. Chinese state media also reported 16 dead in Tibet and at least 546 missing.
The U.S. Geological Survey stated that the flash flood was the result of a glacier collapse.
Anyone with information on the family's whereabouts should contact the Canadian Consulate in Kathmandu, Nepal, or Global Affairs Canada, at the phone numbers listed on the missing person poster.
