Nepalese community leads appeal for flood victims
A group says it is working with Nepal's UK embassy to send money to the worst-hit areas.
**Nepalese community leads appeal for flood victims**
**Bishnu Bahadur Thapa is president of the Peterborough Nepalese Society**
Groups in one city have collected about £16,000 for Nepal after flooding last month near the Nepal-Tibet border.
“Some [in Nepal] have lost everything they had, not just their land and homes, but family members too,” said Kris, a businessman of Nepali origin from Peterborough, whose surname the BBC has agreed not to publish.
More than 1,300 people have died and thousands are still missing after flash floods hit Nepalese border villages on **26 August**.
Kris, who owns the Kathmandu Lounge in Peterborough, said his parents and sisters in Kathmandu were safe, but Nepali families living locally were still “deeply concerned” about relatives back home.
The Peterborough Nepalese Society, which supports around 300 families across Peterborough, Huntingdon and parts of Lincolnshire, has helped raise money and said it was working with Nepal’s UK embassy to get funds to the worst-affected areas.
Kris, who has raised about £9,000 for the flood victims, said his family in Kathmandu are safe.
Bishnu Bahadur Thapa, the society’s president, said many local families had been devastated by news that relatives were missing in the floods.
“My wife’s 27-year-old cousin had taken tourists into the Himalayan region and he is still missing,” he said.
“Many families here have told us their homes, land and everything they owned in Nepal has been lost.”
Thapa said relatives in mountainous areas described the flooding as sudden and unexpected.
“They told us there was nowhere to run. The devastation has been unimaginable,” he added.
Kris said it would take years to recover from the disaster, but that every donation could help those affected.
“When I heard the news, I was shocked. I was very worried,” he said.
“I didn’t know how bad the situation was. I couldn’t sleep for a few nights because I was so concerned. After seeing the scale of the devastation, I decided to launch a fundraiser.”
So far, about £16,000 has been raised through fundraising efforts organised by Kris, the Peterborough Nepalese Society and other community groups in the city.
Thapa said the society was thankful for the support it had received from people across Peterborough and the government, which has pledged £5m for humanitarian relief support.
“We would like to thank everyone who has donated, including people from many different communities in Peterborough,” Thapa said.
“All the money we raise will be sent through the embassy to Nepal’s prime minister’s relief fund. Every donation will make a difference,” he added.