Devon couple Daniela and Chris Cayless from South Devon have raised nearly £10,000 to help find their friend following devastating flash floods in Nepal. They launched a fundraiser to help their lifelong friend Tsering find his brother Dawa and other missing family members who are currently unaccounted for.
The floods hit the Gyirong checkpoint on the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26. As of September 2, at least 1,114 people have died in Nepal and nearly 4,000 are missing, according to Nepal's disaster agency.
Tsering, a Tibetan-Nepali trekking guide, and his brother Dawa have been friends of the Cayless family for over two decades. Since the floods, Tsering's contact has been sporadic, but he believes more than 30 members of his family, relatives and close friends have been lost or remain missing across the affected communities.
Tsering has travelled into the affected area twice by helicopter and is now mobilising people, aid and resources on the ground to search for his family and help find as many other missing people as he possibly can.
Daniela said: "The devastation is difficult to comprehend. Tsering is personally doing everything he can to search for his brother and family members while also helping to find and support others affected by the disaster. Tsering isn’t just a friend — he was the best man at our wedding and has been a lifelong friend to our family."
It has been established that Dawa crossed the Nepal-Tibet border around the time the floods took place and communicated with Tsering's wife, Chhamje, to say he was sitting inside a passenger van on the Chinese side, waiting for more passengers before travelling onwards to Kyirong. Daniela and Chris have a photograph of the border list confirming that he crossed, but there has been no contact from him since.
Daniela continued: "For us, this isn’t simply a disaster we have seen on the news. Tsering and Dawa are close family friends. We want to give Tsering every possible resource to continue searching for his brother, his family and others who are still missing."
The couple launched a fundraiser with donations going directly to Tsering for his search and relief efforts. In less than a week, the fundraiser has already reached nearly £10,000 in donations.
Daniela said the family are "completely overwhelmed by the kindness, generosity and support shown by everyone who has donated. At an extremely difficult and heart-breaking time, the support is bringing some much-needed comfort and hope."
To donate to the fundraiser, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-tsering-find-his-family-after-the-flash-flood
Devon Couple Raises £10k to Find Missing Friend’s Family