Viswanahan Venkatesh has been making frantic calls from Sydney to find out the whereabouts of his brother, Sreedharan Iyer, Iyer’s wife Lakshmi and their children, Rudhra and Rishab—all Australian citizens — who were among a group of 13 people visiting Nepal and have remained untraceable since flash floods wreaked havoc in the Himalayan nation on Wednesday.
For now the priority is finding the people who were reported missing or those who are injured. We have seen photos of the hotel where they were staying but unsure if it is still there. The Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Company, one among the many tour operators hired by people to take them to Kailash Mansasovar pilgrimage, is assisting the families. “Eight of our staff members are also missing. We are unable to reach our local contacts in Rasuwa. The roads are also blocked and phone connectivity is down. “When we spoke to her last, she was having her breakfast at the Kailash Hotel in Rasuwa. “Bridges in Betrawati, which connect Rasuwa with Kathmandu, were broken and washed away. Many villages have been washed away along the bridges in Betrawati. The most critical ones are being airlifted to Kathmandu.
“All 13 including my brother’s family were in Rasuwa. Agarwal was among the 25 Canadian nationals, who too were supposed to enter Tibet on Wednesday. We have compiled photos of at least 46 people who are still missing,” tour organiser Neupane said. Searches are being conducted in districts like Chitwan where most bodies (132) were recovered after being swept away by the flood,” an official said.
Because bridges connecting it with Kathmandu were also washed away in the flood, officials from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said road travel to Rasuwa was hit.
They were accompanied by their close friends who are also NRIs and OCIs,” said Venkatesh, a resident of Sydney. The tour operators said they are also unable to get any information about the whereabouts of the whole group. Astitva Agarwal, whose brother-in-law Himanshu Agarwal, a Canadian citizen, is also among the missing, said most families are unsure if the hotel where pilgrims were lodged in Rasuwa is intact or has been blown away in the flash floods. I am making arrangements to fly to Nepal and join the rescue ops,” Agarwal said. Vikram Kuvalala,a Mumbai resident, said his sister, Shital Chetan Chauhan, a US national, is also missing. According to the itinerary she was supposed to leave for the border in a jeep. We do not know if anything has happened to her at the hotel or while travelling to the border,” Kuvalala said.
“They were supposed to cross the Nepal border yesterday (Wednesday) after having breakfast at the hotel in Rasuwa, Nepal. “My sister had last spoken to her husband on Tuesday night. Once we heard of the incident on Wednesday morning, we tried to call Himanshu but to no avail.
