Family seeks help locating doctor missing in Nepal
The family of Filipino doctor Juan Carlos Manalo has appealed for help locating him after losing contact following flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border.
Manalo’s sister, Chiara Manalo, said on Friday that the family had not heard from him since Tuesday, a day before the disaster.
In a Facebook post, Chiara said the family’s last contact with Manalo was at 1:21 p.m. Philippine time on Tuesday or 11:06 a.m. Nepal time.
She said Manalo was traveling with the Isha Sadghuru group on a Kailashyatra tour. The group’s last known location was at the Immigration Office in Gyirong, according to the family.
“Please help us look for my brother,” Chiara said.
Awaiting confirmation
The family appealed to anyone with information about Manalo or members of the group to contact them. It also asked for help connecting with agencies that could coordinate with Nepali authorities and assist in search operations.
“Receiving and seeing the news about the catastrophe has been very difficult for us. We humbly ask to include him in your prayers, that he may return to us safely soon,” the family said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi and the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Kathmandu were coordinating with local authorities and were ready to assist Filipinos affected by the disaster.
DFA spokesperson Analyn Ratonel said the agency was awaiting confirmation from Nepali authorities on a Filipino national who was reported missing.
Unaccounted traveler
Ratonel also said the DFA had forwarded to the concerned office information provided by Chiara about her brother.
The reported missing Filipino appeared in a preliminary record released by the Nepal Tourism Board, which listed one Filipino among travelers unaccounted for in the affected areas. The Philippine government has yet to independently confirm the report.
The disaster struck on Wednesday after a glacial collapse triggered a massive debris flow, sending water, mud, rocks and ice crashing on communities along the Nepal-Tibet border.
The DFA has not confirmed that Manalo is the Filipino listed in the preliminary Nepal Tourism Board record.
Chiara said receiving news of the disaster had been difficult for the family as she asked the public to pray for her brother’s safe return.
