Georgia mother disappears amid deadly Nepal-Tibet floods after pilgrimage
Mary Sorenson, a 60-year-old from Georgia, went missing while descending Mount Kailash after catastrophic floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border.
Mary Sorenson, a 60-year-old resident of north-Atlanta, vanished while returning from a bucket-list pilgrimage to Mount Kailash after flash floods devastated the Nepal-Tibet border. Her last message to her family expressed deep gratitude and anticipation of the journey home. The floods, which began Wednesday morning, have claimed over 900 lives and left more than 4,700 people unaccounted for, according to Nepal’s disaster agency.
Among the missing are at least 85 Americans, including Sorenson and fellow pilgrims Amita Amin, Jitendra Manubhai Patel, and Tejal Vyomesh Patel. Her son, Riley Wildeman, a public-school teacher, has contacted the U.S. State Department and the governments of Nepal and China seeking assistance. Rescue crews continue round-the-clock operations in the affected border area.
Why it matters
The story highlights the human toll of a major natural disaster affecting international travelers and the challenges of cross-border rescue efforts.
How this story developed
- Aug 27 Flash Floods from Glacial Collapse Leave Hundreds Dead and Thousands Missing on Nepal-Tibet Border
- Aug 27 The United Nations pledged $2 million for relief efforts.
- Aug 27 The US Department of State said 90 Americans were unaccounted for in China and Nepal and it was not aware of any US deaths.
- Aug 28 Authorities warned that the debris‑clogged river and rising water in a blocked lake could cause additional flooding downstream.
- Aug 28 The Nepali army is rescuing people trapped in a tunnel at a hydropower site in Rasuwa after deadly floods.
- Aug 29 Death‑toll estimates rose to at least 579 with about 1,400 people still missing.
- Aug 30 National disaster authorities issued new flood warnings as water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River.
- Aug 31 International rescue teams joined Nepalese forces and fresh flood warnings were issued as river levels rose.
- Aug 31 Updated casualty figures show 734 deaths and 2,498 missing in Nepal, with 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet.
- Aug 31 Drilling and air‑pumping operations at the Trishuli‑3A tunnel have begun to free trapped workers.
- Aug 31 The number of missing persons in Nepal has risen to about 4,200.
- Sep 1 Death toll rose to at least 950 and missing counts climbed to over 4,400, including about 80 Americans and up to 43 Australians.
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