DUBAI // Six young men from Dubai are missing in Nepal amid the devastation of Saturday’s deadly earthquake.
Anguished family and friends are praying for news of Thanweer Rawther, Hadil Haneef, Mohammed Azhar Ali, Mazhar Mohideen, Sunil Gandhi and Nihad Khan.
The young trekkers sent a cheerful “selfie” snapshot to friends on Saturday – just before Nepal’s most powerful earthquake in 80 years struck, killing thousands.
The death toll from the quake rose on Sunday to more than 2,500, and people in Kathmandu ran panicking into the streets as the ground trembled and buildings swayed in a series of aftershocks.
In Dubai, Thanzeem Rawther and her family were distraught as they waited for news of her brother Thanweer, 25.
“Just not knowing, not being able to speak to my brother or any of them is nerve-racking,” she said.
“We just want to know they are OK. We are just desperately waiting for that phone call.”
The group of six Indian friends arrived in Kathmandu on Friday morning.
Their relatives know they had been at their hotel, The Last Resort, in Sindhupalchok district, before they were due to head off on a trek.
Ms Rawther said her family had tirelessly sought news of their whereabouts and had finally managed to get in touch with the hotel management.
Hotel staff told the family that those staying at the resort had been taken to a safe location in a nearby village after the quake.
A group of six men from Dubai were among those in the village, they were told.
But Ms Rawther, 29, learnt through appeals on social media that a second, separate group of six men from Dubai had also been visiting the area.
While one group are believed to be at the village, Ms Rawther and her family are facing an agonising wait to find out if her brother and his friends safe.
“We are not sure if it is really them or not,” she said, and they had made desperate appeals on social media for news.
Ms Rawther said their mother was in India on holiday and was stunned after learning the quake had struck near where her son was staying.
“She is just shocked right now,” she said.
Ms Rawther said her younger sister and Thanweer’s twin, Tabassun, was devastated as she awaited for news.
“They are best friends,” said Ms Rawther. “They are so connected, they are very, very close. She is really lost. She has not left any stone unturned in the search for her brother.”
She said she, her sister and their father were staying together in Dubai as they waited for news.
Many of the six friends had grown up together. Shelton Rego, 25, is a friend of theirs and had been planning to travel to Nepal before a work commitment meant he had to cancel.
“I was supposed to go but the reason I did not turn up was work,” said Mr Rego, an Indian.
Three other friends had also been planning to travel with the group but found themselves in the same position, he said.
“I am super worried about the guys,” Mr Rego said. “I am just looking to spread the word that they are there, and we are desperate to hear from them and anyone who can help us get in touch with them.”
Mr Rego said the group had been friends for years and many of them had attended the Indian High School in Dubai together. He had known four of them for a decade.
The last he heard from them was a group picture they had sent to him on Saturday, before the earthquake struck.
When he saw the horror unfold on the news, Mr Rego said he was frantic.
“We tried to get in touch with them as soon as we heard but we haven’t been able to get in touch at all. We have tried everything but nothing yet.
“We just have to wait.”
jbell@thenational.ae
