Belgian Julija Missing After Nepal Mudslides, Family Appeals

The family of Julija Jakovicka (47), a Belgian-Latvian citizen missing since catastrophic mudslides struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on 26 August, has issued a desperate public appeal for information. Jakovicka, who spent many years living in Ghent before relocating to Frankfurt, is one of three Belgians still unaccounted for following one of the worst natural disasters to hit Nepal in decades.

According to VRT NWS, Jakovicka was travelling with a group tour organised by the Latvian travel agency Yantra.lv when disaster struck. The group of 33 travellers — primarily Latvians, supplemented by travellers from Estonia and Lithuania — departed by bus from the Yuntian Intercontinental Hotel in Gyirong Town, Tibet, in the early morning of the disaster, heading towards the Nepal border. Since then, no trace has been found of any of the 33 travellers.

A Devastating Natural Catastrophe

The mudslides were triggered by a glacier collapse on Langtang Lirung in the Himalayas, which sent a massive wall of water, mud, rock and ice thundering down the Trishuli River valley. The Gyirong border crossing — a strategic gateway accounting for 30 percent of all Nepal-China trade — was completely destroyed, and entire villages were wiped out along a 72-kilometre stretch of the valley.

As The Guardian reported, the disaster has claimed at least 1,130 lives across Nepal and Tibet, with more than 4,460 people still missing. Among the missing are 583 foreign nationals from 38 countries, including 33 Latvians, 288 Indians, 75 Americans and 33 British citizens. Only four percent of the roughly 900 bodies recovered so far have been identified, according to Nepal’s Ministry of Health.

Julija’s Last Known Movements

The family says it remains unclear exactly where Jakovicka and her travel companions were when the disaster struck. In a statement reported by VRT NWS, the family said: “It is currently unclear where Julija and her travel companions were exactly when the disaster occurred, what happened to the buses, and whether the group had reached or crossed the border with Nepal.”

Her sister, Tatajana Phillips, who lives in Folkestone, Kent, told the BBC that Jakovicka’s last known location was in the border area about an hour before the flash floods struck. “Then there is no more news,” Phillips said. “We are really hoping that people hear us and try to find and locate [my sister].”

Phillips’s husband, Ben, added: “We are terribly worried. We just know where they were and that’s really tough.”

A Life Between Belgium, Latvia and Germany

Born in Latvia on 16 October 1978, Jakovicka holds both Belgian and Latvian nationality. She spent a significant part of her life in Ghent before moving to Frankfurt, where she works at the European Central Bank. Her two sons, aged 16 and 19, regularly visit their grandmother in Flanders, and her eldest son is currently studying in Rotterdam.

The family is appealing to anyone who may have information about Jakovicka or her travel companions to come forward. “Even information that seems unimportant at first glance can help reconstruct the group’s last movements,” the family said. “Every photo, video, testimony or local contact can potentially help fill in a piece of the puzzle. Her two sons and the whole family are waiting in great uncertainty for news of their mother.”

Three Belgians Still Missing

The Belgian Foreign Ministry confirmed that 15 Belgian nationals were in the affected area at the time of the disaster, with three of them unreachable. The Nepalese Ministry of Tourism officially confirmed three Belgians among the missing foreign tourists. As of 31 August, Belgian Foreign Affairs confirmed there was still no news about the three missing Belgians.

Belgian travel guide Yves Cams, based in Kathmandu, described the devastation to VRT NWS: “Roads are destroyed, bridges are destroyed, entire villages have been wiped out.” He noted that the border post typically opens at nine in the morning, making it particularly busy at the time the disaster struck. “All those tourists were there waiting to cross.”

A Climate Warning

The disaster has prompted renewed calls for global action on climate change. As Al Jazeera reported, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has called for the floods to be raised at international forums as a question of climate justice. Scientists note that climate change contributes to permafrost melting, increasing the likelihood of glacier collapses like the one that triggered this catastrophe.

The Wikipedia overview of the disaster notes that the region has a history of such events — the 2015 Nepal earthquake triggered a similar glacier collapse in Langtang that killed over 350 people. A July 2025 flood caused by a glacial lake outburst had already washed away the bridge at the border crossing.

What’s Next

The family continues to gather information about the group’s final movements. They have asked that unconfirmed information not be spread publicly on social media, and instead request that tips be shared directly so they can be verified and passed on to authorities. Anyone with information can contact the family at julijamissing@gmail.com.

As rescue operations continue and the death toll rises, the search for answers — and for Julija — remains agonisingly unresolved. Her sons and family wait in hope, clinging to the possibility that any piece of information, no matter how small, might lead to news of their mother.