Latvian living in Dublin seeks help finding his mother missing in Nepal floods
The mother of Eduards Sarms, a Latvian living in Dublin, went missing in Nepal during devastating floods, and friends have launched a fundraiser to help him travel to search for her.
A natural disaster in Nepal has struck close to home for Eduards Sarms, a Latvian living in Dublin, whose mother Evita was in the region when the floods hit. Her last contact with her son was a photo sent just ten minutes before the flooding began — since then, there has been no word from her.
Eduards is now constantly trying to find out what happened to his mother, contacting the Latvian embassy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the police. His colleague Estere Kairesa has launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe so that Eduards can urgently travel to Nepal or a nearby border town if needed.
Estere writes that Evita was crossing the Nepal-China border at the exact moment the disaster struck. She was travelling with a small group of Latvians, whose members are currently considered missing. Estere notes that Evita is Eduards' only close family member, and that although he lacks the financial means to drop everything and travel immediately, he may have to if even the smallest lead on his mother's whereabouts emerges. The funds raised are intended to cover travel-related costs.
Scale of the disaster
The disaster in Nepal began on August 26, when a glacier collapse triggered a flow of ice debris, followed by water and mudflows from a glacial lake. The destruction affected both Nepal and China, and a group of Latvian tourists was near the epicentre of the disaster at the time, including a group organised by the local company Mighty Himalayan Trek.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, three Latvian residents who were in the region were not affected by the mudslide caused by the floods, while 33 Latvian nationals are considered missing. Among them is Eduards Sarms' mother, Evita.
