At least 43 Australians are among more than 3,000 people reported missing after deadly flash floods and landslides tore through valleys on the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday, with rescue efforts ongoing. The majority of the missing Australians were pilgrims trekking to a holy site in Tibet, travelling with Himalayan Glacier Adventures, Kailash Journeys, or the Isha Foundation.
Nepali and Chinese authorities have confirmed at least 810 deaths across Nepal and Tibet, while the number of missing remains above 3,000. The figure for missing Australians was revised down from 44 on Monday after Cara Severino, a 25-year-old Sydney woman, made contact with her parents two days after being reported missing.
Australian families await news of loved ones
Among the missing are Venkatraman Balakrishnan, 52, and Chitra Venkatraman, 46, a New South Wales couple who were part of a 15-strong group travelling to Mount Kailash with Himalayan Glacier Adventures. Their son, Akash Venkatraman, said his parents had planned to leave their riverside accommodation in Syabrubesi before it was devastated by flood waters.
The Muralitharan family—Shylaja, 42, Chandresekaran, 47, and their children Ashwin, 14, and Aarush, 11—were also on the Himalayan Glacier Adventures spiritual tour. Shylaja’s younger sister, Vaishnavi, said the family had been training together for the long walk and lost contact shortly after breakfast on the morning of the flood.
Sreedharan Iyer, 52, Lakshmi Iyer, 50, and their adult sons Rishab, 23, and Rudhra, 20, were also with Himalayan Glacier Adventures. The Iyer brothers are medical students at the University of Newcastle and members of the West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook cricket club in Sydney’s north-west.
Tour groups and independent travellers affected
Karan Bhardwaj, a 40-year-old Brisbane-based member of the Royal Australian Air Force, is also missing. His family member Jen said: “Karan is a dad to my beautiful seven-year-old nephew, as well as a brother, uncle and brother in law. He is so desperately loved by his family and right now we are desperately praying, hoping and believing that Karan is safe, alive and somehow making his way back to us.”
Narayan Panthi, from Brisbane, was listed by Nepalese police as travelling with Kathmandu Holiday Tours and Travel. His cousin, Amrit Bhusal, told Guardian Australia the family was devastated but “holding on to hope and praying for positive news”. Bhusal added: “We are still hoping. We are still searching. We are still praying for Narayan to come home safely.” Panthi had been doing independent volunteer charity work in Kathmandu earlier in the week before heading to the border region.
Bharat Mangwani, 42, was with the Isha Foundation on a pilgrimage to Lake Manasarovar when his family lost contact on Wednesday morning. He was last seen at Gyirong before the group was due to depart for Kathmandu. Close friend Kushagra Tiwari said: “All of us are praying for him and hopefully he comes back to us soon.” Mangwani’s wife has flown to Nepal to search for him, while his nine-year-old son and three-year-old daughter have travelled to India with a family friend.
Community support and ongoing search
Sumi Adhikari was at the Gyirong Post crossing with the Isha Foundation group when the flood hit. Her husband, Nava Pandey, travelled to Nepal seeking information. “We still have no clear or official information about Sumi or the other members of her group,” Pandey said on Saturday morning.
Renee Spry, a Sunshine Coast disability support worker, was on a pilgrimage. Her sister Clair Spry said: “She had two degrees, and she chose to do something that was … a completely selfless vocation. Her priority was always other people. Every person she touched, they knew her love and kindness. She would be so uncomfortable with all this.” Clair has set up a GoFundMe to fund travel to Nepal to search for her sister.
Suhasini Kandimalla, a mother of two from Springfield near Brisbane, was hiking with another Springfield local, according to her sister Supreethini. A New Zealand citizen, Suhasini had been approved for Australian citizenship and planned to attend a ceremony upon her return. “I don’t know if it was a religious calling for her to do it, but she certainly loved the treks in New Zealand too, and would go on lots of long hikes,” Supreethini said.
Reshma Patel, 46, from Newcastle, was in the Isha Foundation group. Family friend Chin Valsan said she had become friends with Sumi Adhikari on the pilgrimage, and they were “supposed to come back on the same flight on Thursday”. Patel, who has two children aged 10 and 14 and works casually for Canterbury-Bankstown council, is described as “full of life” and a “kind soul”. The search continues for all those still missing, with families and authorities coordinating efforts across Nepal and Tibet.
