At least 41 Australians are among nearly 2,500 people reported missing after catastrophic flash floods and landslides tore through valleys on the Nepal-Tibet border, with families desperately seeking information about their loved ones. The Red Cross estimates that at least 93,000 people have been affected by the disaster, which has also left at least 777 foreigners unaccounted for.
Among the missing Australians are an 11-year-old child, an Australian Defence Force member, and numerous pilgrims and trekkers who were travelling in the region when the floods struck. Guardian Australia has confirmed the identities of several of those missing, with families and community groups speaking out as the search continues.
Isha Foundation pilgrimage group
A group of 11 Australians remain missing after travelling with an Isha Foundation pilgrimage. The foundation confirmed that the 11 Australians were among a group of 80 missing pilgrims who were inside an immigration building at the Gyirong border crossing when the flood hit.
Among them is missing Australian woman Sumi Adhikari. Her husband, Nava Pandey, has travelled to Nepal seeking information about her whereabouts. “We still have no clear or official information about Sumi or the other members of her group,” Pandey said on Saturday morning.
Also missing is 42-year-old Australian man Bharat Mangwani, who was travelling with the Isha Foundation as part of a pilgrimage to Lake Manasarovar. His family lost contact with him on Wednesday morning, and he was last seen at Gyirong before the group was set 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 family, including his nine-year-old son and three-year-old daughter, have travelled to India with a family friend, while his wife has travelled to Nepal to search.
Himalayan Glacier Adventures group
Fifteen of the missing Australians were on a pilgrimage with the Himalayan Glacier tour group to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and the Bon faith. All but one in the group are Sydney-based members of the Australia Bharatha Brahmin Samaj community.
Among those unaccounted for are NSW couple Venkatraman Balakrishnan, 52, and Chitra Venkatraman, 46, as well as Sreedharan and Lakshmi Iyer, and their adult sons Rishab, 23, and Rudhra, 20. 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. The club said in a statement: “WPHCCC is aware of the reports that two of our players, Rishab and Rudhra Iyer, along with their family members and other Australians, are unaccounted for in the ongoing floods in Nepal. We continue to live in hope, and our thoughts are currently with them, their loved ones and all affected by this tragedy in Nepal.”
Also in the group is a family of four: Shylaja Muralitharan, 42, her husband, Chandrasekaran Muralitharan, 47, and their sons Ashwin, 14, and Aarush, 11. Shylaja’s sister, Vaishnavi, said she had lost contact with the family on the morning of the flood as the family prepared to cross an immigration checkpoint at the Tibet-Nepal border. “Just like everyone else that’s part of that group, we’re really worried, but hopeful,” Vaishnavi said. “Hopeful that they’re safe and just waiting to be rescued. It’s a very difficult time for our whole family.”
Sagar Pandey, founder and chief executive of Himalayan Glacier Adventures, said he had lost all contact with his tour group of 47 people. Pandey said on Thursday he had flown by helicopter over the Rasuwa area where the group was staying and had little hope they survived.
Kailash Journeys tour group and other missing Australians
Six Australians are missing from a tour group with Kailash Journeys. Among them is Karan Bhardwaj, a 40-year-old Brisbane-based member of the Royal Australian Air Force. 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, has been listed by Nepalese police as travelling with operator Kathmandu Holiday Tours and Travel. It is understood Panthi had been carrying out independent volunteer charity work in Kathmandu earlier in the week before travelling towards the border region. Panthi’s cousin, Amrit Bhusal, told Guardian Australia his family was devastated but “holding on to hope and praying for positive news”. “We are still hoping,” Bhusal said. “We are still searching. We are still praying for Narayan to come home safely.” Bhusal said Panthi was “helping disadvantaged children in Nepal reach their full potential through education”.
The Australian government has deployed additional personnel to assist with the search and rescue efforts, as the number of missing Australians rose again. Families continue to wait for official information, while the Red Cross and local authorities work to account for the thousands affected by the disaster.
